Sand Point Road
by Saintsavory
Summary: Alex is the caretaker for multiple summer homes on Sand Point Road, and Piper is one of the resident's daughters. Alternate universe.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I began this story at the beginning of summer, but hadn't touched it again until this month. It was meant to be light, summer reading, and it remains so for the most part, though there will be some drama in later chapters. As always, this story is complete, minus some general tweaking that I'll tend to along the way.

* * *

Over the past several years, she'd heard Alex's name roll off her father's tongue often in the months leading up to summer, always associated with the upkeep of their vacation home in Maine. As the family piled into their Range Rover for a long weekend of sun and fun, predictably, Bill Chapman would ask his wife, " _Did you remember to grab the check for Alex?_ " Inevitably, Carol Chapman would sigh and march back into the house to retrieve the white envelope marked, _Alex Vause_.

Piper had never paid close attention to why the windows were always open when they arrived at the summer home or why the grass was always mowed and the flower bed was bursting with life. Those were mysteries that the blonde hadn't even considered—all she knew was that during her time in coastal Maine, she could work on her tan during the day and flirt with the Russo twins at night.

Piper had just completed her third year at Smith College and had secured an internship at the Kennebunkport branch of Weber Shandwick, a nationally lauded public relations firm. Although she didn't know if PR was the route she wanted to take in the future, there wasn't much else that intrigued her from a professional standpoint. If she could simply write short stories all summer and get paid for it, she'd have chosen that path in an instant, but her father had impressed upon her the importance of building a solid resume. Although the internship was unpaid, Piper was excited about living in her family's summer home for nearly three months with the occasional weekend visit from her parents and younger brother.

The Chapman family hadn't missed Memorial Day in Kennebunkport in ten years, and that year was no different. Not that she would've forgone a weekend on the beach, but Piper didn't even think there was an option _not_ to go to Maine for the long weekend. There was a festival in the Lower Village, and every shop in Dock Square offered a different treat to passersby. When she was in high school, Piper had volunteered to hand out lemonade to locals and tourists outside of the Kennebunkport Savings  & Loan Building, while her brother, Danny, lifeguarded at the community pool and Cal passed out coupons for free scoops at Rococo Ice Creamery.

Since she'd gone off to college and community service hours weren't a necessity for graduation, Piper no longer volunteered during the Memorial Day festivities; rather, she participated in them. Her friend, Polly, spiked their strawberry smoothies with rum as they cruised around town, looking for guys with whom to flirt.

With her long legs, blonde hair and blue eyes, it wasn't difficult for Piper to attract members of the opposite sex. Polly was typically the one whose charm coaxed them into their web, but inevitably, Piper would put her foot in her mouth, landing them in a position of being alone at the end of the night.

"What about those two?" Polly nodded towards a red head. "He kind of looks like Prince Harry."

"Is the rum going straight to your head?" Piper glared at her friend. "He looks more like a male version of Strawberry Shortcake."

"We've been walking around for two hours in this heat," the brunette complained, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Those are the hottest guys in town, Piper."

She sucked on the long, clear straw and averted her eyes. "What if we look for girls instead?"

Polly stopped in her tracks. "Excuse me?"

She jutted her chin forward. "What about those girls over there?" Piper gazed at a group of five women at a picnic table, eating lobster rolls and laughing. One woman in particular caught her eye—her black hair glistened in the sun, and her husky laughter filled the air.

Polly put a hand on her hip. "First of all, those are _women_ not girls, and second, because we're not gay?"

"I might like hot boys _and_ hot girls," Piper admitted, unable to take her eyes off of the bespectacled woman.

A few weeks ago at Smith, Piper had drunkenly confessed to Polly that she found girls equally as attractive as boys, but her friend had dismissed her with the shoo of her hand and a full-bodied laugh. They hadn't returned to the conversation until that day.

"The rum has clearly gone to _your_ head!" Polly commented.

"Hey," one of the Russo twins called from behind. "We're walking down to Goose Rocks Beach. Wanna come?"

Piper rolled her eyes. For the last two summers, she'd hooked up with Timothy Russo, but he wasn't as appealing as he'd been when she was in high school. Tim hadn't grown more than an inch since last summer, making him at least four inches shorter than Piper, and his attempt at growing a beard had failed miserably—his face looked like a splotchy drawing on an Etch A Sketch.

"Sure," Polly answered. She'd made out with Tim's brother, Thomas, last year and Piper knew that her friend still had a major crush on the more attractive twin.

Piper tossed her Styrofoam cup into a trash can. "You guys go ahead. I promised to have lunch with my dad."

Polly looked disappointed, but Piper wasn't in the mood to ward off Tim's advances. Besides, she was more intrigued by the dark haired woman at the picnic table than the 19-year-old boy who wanted to get in her pants. The thought of his thick tongue in her mouth made her want to vomit.

Piper didn't really have plans to eat lunch with her father, so instead, she hung out at the dunk tank with Danny and watched girls fall all over her older brother. He was moving to Australia in June, so this would probably be the last time she'd get to hang out with him. Piper wasn't _that_ close to Danny, but her parents seemed to get along better when he was around.

She collected game tickets from the people in line, while keeping an eye on the women at the picnic table. The dark haired woman stood as she gathered the paper plates and walked over to a trash can to dump the waste. The woman was tall and fit in her black tank top and red shorts. She was awfully pale to be a local, and Piper wondered if she was just in town for the Memorial Day festivities. When the woman made eye contact, Piper dropped a handful of tickets on the grass and quickly knelt down to retrieve them. She was too far away to notice the exact color of the dark haired woman's eyes behind her glasses, but Piper sensed that they resembled sea foam. After gathering the pink tickets, Piper looked up, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and watched the woman smirk at her before joining the four other women on the crowded sidewalk.

Although Piper had recently admitted to herself (and to Polly) that she was attracted to girls, she hadn't done anything about it. If she wanted to experiment, Smith was a great place to do it. Trouble was, she didn't find many of her classmates all that striking. Besides, Piper didn't know the first thing about how to approach a girl. _Hey, wanna makeout?_ Didn't sound like the best pickup line, and she wasn't even certain that she would _like_ kissing a girl.

As Piper watched the tall, dark haired woman walk away, she couldn't help but think _just maybe_ she'd enjoy it.

* * *

Polly texted her friend much later in the evening, asking her to go to the bonfire that the Russo twins had built on the beach, but Piper wasn't in the mood. She'd hung around the Square all afternoon and was exhausted from too much sun and chatting with tourists. She tried passing time by playing Scrabble with Cal, but he'd gotten a last minute invitation to sleep at a friend's house down the road. Since it was after sunset, the only way their mother would allow Cal to go was if Piper escorted him on her bicycle. Piper rolled her eyes as she thought about how fucking safe Kennebunkport was. There hadn't been a serious crime in decades, yet her parents rarely allowed them to explore the town on their own at night.

"Sorry you have to take me, sis," Cal said, buckling his helmet. "It's like they don't even realize I'm a teenager now."

"Don't worry about it." She shoved the kickstand up and hopped on her bike. "I could use the exercise anyway."

The sun had set only half an hour earlier, and the sky was speckled with pink and purple clouds, but the streetlamps were already glowing. Sand Point Road was just over a mile long, and there were houses on either side of the street, set apart by thick shrubs or white picket fences. Most of the homes were more like mansions, and some had guest cottages on the property as well. The wealthiest families had wrought iron gates a few feet from the street, but the Chapman home was one of the most understated and freely accessed properties around.

Piper glanced up at the tall Balsam Firs and listened to the waves crashing on the rocky beach below. She took in a deep breath of the sweet summer air as she rode her bike behind Cal.

"Wanna race?" Cal called as he peddled faster.

"Nope." She wasn't worried about her younger brother getting safely to his friend's house towards the street's entrance, so she took her time, peddling slowly in the cool breeze, enjoying the feel of her hair blowing in the wind.

Cal skidded to a stop in the Stein's driveway, and Piper waved goodbye to him as she headed back down the street. It had been a while since she'd ridden her bike for pleasure, and she appreciated the freedom of not being stuck in a stuffy car. She could hear laughter in the distance and figured backyard barbecues were still going strong during one of the most popular weekends of the summer. She followed the scent of what could only be brisket, and her mouth watered at the smell.

Piper rode past her house to see if perhaps their neighbors were grilling. Sure enough, she could see smoke rising over the Miller's roof, and she knew that they were in for a good meal. Her father grilled occasionally, but most of their meals were pre-packaged & store bought, and that night was no exception: frozen lasagna.

Piper rode to the end of Sand Point Road and heard boisterous laughter coming from the Bankston's property. Harvey Bankston was a retired Democratic congressman, and Piper's parents did not approve of his political leanings. Piper didn't know the man at all, but she was confident she'd side more with _his_ political values than her own family's.

Mr. Bankston's ornate home was set down a steep slope, so it was hard to see the beachfront mansion in full from land, but there was a cottage not far from the main house that was within view. The property featured an expansive lawn with red Adirondack chairs surrounding a firepit, and Piper noticed that each chair was occupied. She stopped peddling and squinted at the women laughing around the fire. One passed a bottle to another, and Piper's eyes widened when she realized that it was the dark haired woman she'd seen earlier that day.

Her pulse quickened as she peddled a little closer, but she was able to mostly hide behind a thick Oak tree as she gazed at the group. The dark haired girl threw her head back with laughter as the woman next to her brought her hand up to her mouth and kissed it. The brunette pulled away from the other woman and grabbed her beer bottle with the hand that had just been kissed.

Piper blinked rapidly and swallowed hard as she watched their interactions closely. She assumed they were playing some sort of drinking game, and all of the women except one seemed to be coupled. When the dark haired woman stood, Piper slinked further behind the tree and hoped she wasn't discovered. A minute later, she peeked around the tree trunk, and the five women were all seated again. She turned her bike in the opposite direction and rode away.

As Piper made the turn into her parents' driveway, she wondered about the mysterious dark haired girl—was she a guest of Mr. Bankston? She'd never seen the woman before and had to assume she was just visiting. Perhaps one of the other women had rented the guest cottage and had invited the dark haired woman over for the long weekend.

Her head was swimming with questions—were the women lesbians? Surely the one who kissed the other woman's hand had to be. If that was the case, was she going to makeout with the woman to her left that night? Better yet, would they have sex? And what exactly did sex between women look like? Piper had seen girls kiss before at Smith, but she'd never seen two women have sex, not even in the movies. She figured it would be the complete opposite of sex with a man—instead of rough hands and a penetrating penis, it would be soft fingers and gentle tongues.

Rather than heading inside, Piper walked around the house and down the steps to the beach below, hands combing through her hair as she considered girl-on-girl sex. The crescent moon was already high in the sky, casting a glow like a flashlight onto the water. She walked as far out as she could without getting wet and craned her neck to see if she could get a glimpse of the five women around the firepit. No such luck—the properties along Sand Point Road had been built with privacy in mind. The only way she'd be able to see the Bankston property was if she rowed offshore in her father's kayak. Piper considered that option for a moment, but when she noticed the paddles weren't nearby, she decided to stay on dry land.

The phone in her pocket buzzed, nearly making Piper jump. She retrieved the mobile device and read a text from Polly, telling her to get her ass down to The Point. _Six hot guys here_! the text read. The blonde still wasn't interested. Instead, she sat on the beach and skimmed rocks into the ocean, wondering how she would find out more about the mysterious woman.

* * *

Memorial Day weekend came and went, and the Chapman family returned to their primary residence in Connecticut. Piper's internship wouldn't begin until the middle of June, and her father didn't think it was a good idea for her to stay alone at the Kennebunkport home "with nothing to do." There wasn't much to do in Connecticut either—she hung out with friends, read eight novels and began her senior thesis. While she was with Polly one night, the two discussed what they'd do for Piper's 20th birthday. The brunette wanted to host a party at her parents' house, but Piper had another thought.

"Let's go to Maine," she offered.

"Didn't your dad say you couldn't go there until June 14?" Polly inquired.

"He doesn't have to know about it." She shrugged as she watched the rain begin to fall outside of Polly's bedroom window. "I'll e-mail our caretaker and have him make sure the house is ready, but I'll tell him my dad asked me to do it for him. Let's start a guest list."

The girls laid on Polly's bed and began planning what they were certain would be an epic birthday bash.

The next morning, Piper waited until her dad went to work and snuck into his study in search of the caretaker's contact information. She flipped through several files until she came upon one manila folder with the Kennebunkport home address on it. She scanned a few documents until landing upon Alex's cell number and e-mail address. Piper scribbled both onto her hand with a black pen, and then tidied up the room as if no one had been inside.

She took her laptop to the sunroom and began typing an e-mail, hoping to find the proper tone that would convince this _Alex_ that her request was legitimate.

 _Hello, Alex,_

 _My father is away on a business trip and asked me to write to you to get our Sand Point home ready for next weekend. We will arrive Friday evening around 7 p.m. I realize this is short notice, so thank you in advance. If you have any questions, please reach out to me directly via e-mail or cell: (203) 555-9080._

 _Thanks,_

 _Piper Chapman_

She didn't have to wait long for a response, which came by way of text message.

 _Air conditioner is still not working properly but will get Freon before your arrival. - Alex_

Piper made a fist pump in the air and immediately texted her friends. The tricky part was going to be buying booze, but Danny owed her a favor, so she was hoping he'd be willing to go to the liquor store at some point that week to buy a substantial amount of tequila and vodka—the mixers were the easy part. She was also hoping he'd be willing to sell her some weed, but her friend Bryn would likely have enough to share.

The blonde had bought two bikinis and several new tank tops that would be perfect for the 80-degree weather forecasted for that weekend. She was positively giddy that she'd pulled one over on her parents—something she had never even attempted before. Piper was the good girl, which was one of the reasons why she had so much freedom. If her father found out about this little scenario, she'd face serious consequences even at the age of 20.

* * *

Reviews are most welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Piper drove to Kennebunkport alone that afternoon, and Polly would transport four other girls a couple of hours later. She blared 80s music with the windows down in her blue BMW and sang along to Duran Duran, Madonna and Prince. As she turned down Sand Point Road, Piper took in the beauty surrounding her. She switched the radio off in favor of listening to birds chirping overhead as the waves crashed along the shore. She pulled into the driveway and noticed that the front door was open, which was strange to some degree, but it wasn't uncommon to have the house opened up for her family's arrival.

She flung her duffle bag over a shoulder and walked inside. "Hello? Anybody here?"

" _Fuck_!" came from upstairs as if someone had stubbed their toe or hit their head.

"Who's there?" Piper clutched her cell phone, wondering if she should call 9-1-1.

A few seconds later, a woman clad in a sports bra and faded jeans peeked over the bannister.

"Who are you?" Piper squinted. "Wait… _No way,_ " she mumbled.

The woman grabbed a white tank top that was draped over the railing and walked downstairs. "I'm Alex. Who the fuck are you?"

The blonde's mouth hung open. " _You're_ Alex?"

She nodded as she tossed her hair over her shoulders with the flick of her neck. "Did you get lost or something? This is the Chapman home."

Piper's eyes were drawn to the definition in her arms. "No, I mean yes, I…" she stuttered. "I'm Piper Chapman. This is my family's home. They're, um, they're on their way here…" she cleared her throat. "…from Connecticut."

Alex licked her lips and smirked. "I see."

Piper stared her up and down, eyes drawn to the woman's breasts and toned stomach. She quickly averted her eyes. "I just…I always thought Alex was a guy."

"I get that a lot." The brunette shrugged into the tank top. "You're the one who e-mailed me."

Piper nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and trying to come up with anything to change the subject.

"I'm trying to fix the air conditioner. It's hot as Hell upstairs." She walked into the living room, hands on her hips as if surveying the room. "It's not that bad down here."

Piper watched her confident gait and realized that the reason Alex was clad only in a sports bra earlier was most likely due to the heat in the attic.

"Anyway, I'll just be a few more minutes." She walked back into the hallway, close enough for Piper to smell the _work_ on Alex, masked by baby powder.

"Take your time." She gulped. "I'm just going to…" Piper hooked her thumb over her shoulder, not knowing where in the fuck she was gesturing. She climbed up the stairs before Alex and could almost feel the dark haired woman's stare. She stopped halfway up. "Where are you going?"

Alex pointed up. "Attic."

"Oh, yeah. Right." She climbed the last few steps and entered her room, closing the door behind her. Piper plopped on her bed and felt her heart pounding. So _that_ was Alex—the same woman Piper had seen Memorial Day weekend at the picnic tables in the Square and later that night with the other women around the firepit.

She stood and glanced at her reflection in the mirror, flattening her messy, wind-blown hair and smacking her lips together to try to massage the little lip gloss she had left on her mouth. Piper looked down at her outfit—cut off jean shorts and a blue t-shirt that she'd cut the sleeves out of so one could easily see her tropical bikini top underneath.

She didn't know if she should stay put in her room until Alex left or offer the sweaty woman a glass of water. She paced in her bedroom until deciding that she should use her manners and ask Alex if she was thirsty.

"Alex?" She called.

"Yeah?" came as an echo.

Piper stood at the base of the rickety wooden stairs leading up to the attic. "Do you need anything?"

"I'll need a shower and a six pack after this." The brunette poked her head through the small opening in the ceiling. "You offering to help with either?"

Piper quickly looked away. "Uh, no, I meant water or something."

She disappeared, voice trailing off. "No thanks, kid. I'm just about done anyway."

The blonde didn't know exactly why she waited at the base of the attic stairs for Alex to come down, but she seemed rooted to the spot.

"That should just about do it." Alex climbed down the narrow stairs. "I wouldn't want you to get too warm up here."

"Yeah, I mean, no…" She scratched her head.

"Need anything else while I'm here?" The brunette folded the stairs and shoved the panel into the ceiling with the help of a dangling string.

"I don't think so." Piper looked up at her. Sure enough, Alex's eyes _were_ the color of sea foam—green with flecks of brown. _Hazel_.

"You have my number. Text if you need me." The dark haired woman proceeded downstairs, and Piper was right behind her. "For _anything_."

The blonde blushed at Alex's smirk. "I will."

Just before leaving the house, Alex spun around. "Oh, one more thing: you're a terrible liar."

"I never lied to you." She could feel her cheeks getting hot.

"Your parents aren't coming this weekend." The brunette adjusted her glasses. "I've seen it a million times around here, kid. Just don't do anything stupid."

She bit her lower lip. "I won't."

"I'll check on you tomorrow." She walked up the driveway, and Piper admired her broad, muscular shoulders.

"I'll be 20 tomorrow," Piper yelled. "I'm not a kid!"

Alex turned around, walking backwards and smiling at the blonde. "Good to know."

Piper shut the door behind her and closed her eyes. " _Holy shit_."

She tried to busy herself for the next couple of hours with things to set up for the party that night, but there wasn't much to do. Polly had all of the decorations and alcohol, so Piper was left counting red Solo cups and paper plates. She'd bought a couple of salad kits and hot dogs to grill, figuring that would be simple. She unloaded the groceries, and then decided to sit on the deck overlooking the ocean, trying _not_ to think about Alex.

She started reading _The Dry Grass of August_ , but with every turn of the page, her mind drifted to the tall, dark haired woman. If she had to guess, she'd assume the brunette was in her late 20s—she carried herself much differently than a college student. Piper found it hard to believe that Alex was the caretaker for the homes on Sand Point Road—she looked more sophisticated and certainly more beautiful than any caretaker Piper had ever seen. She tried to think of an excuse to have Alex come over, but her mind was blank. Now that the air conditioner was repaired, there was nothing that needed fixing. She _could_ simply invite Alex over for a beer, but the older woman might think that was lame.

Maybe that had been Piper's problem with her lack of attraction to the girls at Smith—they were all her age. Perhaps she was attracted to _older_ women…dark haired, mysterious, _sexy as hell_ older women in secretary glasses.

"Hello? Piper?" She recognized Polly's voice.

"I'm out here!" she called.

Her friends ran in to hug her and wish her a happy birthday. The blonde reminded them that her actual birthday wasn't until the next day, but she accepted the gifts they offered anyway.

"Let's get this party started!" Polly popped open a bottle of Prosecco.

The girls started drinking the minute they walked in the door and didn't stop until nearly 3 a.m. They sang, danced and tried (unsuccessfully) to bake a cake while getting high. Bryn made pot brownies, and they consumed the entire pan at midnight. Piper needed the night to go exactly as it had so that she wouldn't think about Alex. That plan didn't work entirely.

What puzzled her was why she was so _drawn_ to Alex. Sure, she was captivatingly beautiful, but she was a glorified custodian. Not that Piper thought she'd end up with someone in a more professional role…well, she kind of _did_. Maybe not a doctor or a lawyer, but someone who put his college degree to good use. (She wasn't ready to consider changing the pronoun to _her_.) She wondered if she was simply intrigued that Alex was possibly a lesbian—the first lesbian that she was attracted to. Maybe _that_ was what drew her to the enigmatic dark haired woman.

* * *

The next morning, Piper was awakened by the shrill buzz of a weed eater that sounded like it was coming from inside the house. She rubbed her eyes, got out of bed and glanced out of the window. She immediately spotted Alex in the yard.

Piper opened the window and yelled, "What the _fuck_?"

Alex looked up and turned off the power tool. "Good morning, Rapunzel."

Piper tamed her messy, blonde hair with her palms as she blinked rapidly at the invasive sunlight. "What are you doing here this early?"

"Working," she announced with a slight chuckle. "It's 10 o'clock, Piper. Time to get out of bed."

She glanced at the digital clock, confirming the time. "We had a late night." Her hangover began with an aching head, and she hoped to God that she'd remembered to pack Ibuprofen.

Alex grinned. "I can tell."

The blonde looked down at her clothing and realized she was wearing the same outfit that she'd been in the day before when she'd met Alex.

"And it smells like a pot shop out here, so you might want to get that under control before your parents arrive."

She sniffed the air, and even in the upstairs bedroom, there was a faint scent of marijuana. "Wait…my parents aren't coming."

"You sure about that?" Alex smirked as she cranked the weed eater back to life.

Piper put her hands on her hips and glared at the top of the brunette's head as she trimmed the weeds around an Azalea bush. She marched downstairs, paying only half attention to two of her friends, sound asleep on the Oriental rug in the living room. Piper flung the front door open and proceeded barefoot down the path on the North side of the house.

She must've startled Alex, because she jumped slightly upon seeing the blonde.

"What do you mean, my parents are coming?" Piper asked without preamble, hands firmly on hips.

"Didn't you tell me they were coming, and that's why I had to get the house ready?" Alex asked over the buzz of the weed eater.

The blonde scratched her head. "I thought you knew I was ly…that I wasn't being exactly honest?"

"Yeah, I did." Alex smirked. "But they _are_ coming. Your dad texted me this morning." She pushed her glasses higher on her nose. "Let me guess, they think you're celebrating your birthday at a friend's house anywhere but here?"

Piper averted her eyes.

"Good luck with that, kid," she snickered, and then went back to the yard work.

The blonde walked away, frustrated that Alex found the situation amusing and panicked about her family arriving later that day. "Ow! Fuck!" Piper immediately bent down and looked at the bottom of her foot.

Alex glanced at her and turned off the weed whacker. "What happened?"

"I got a splinter." She grimaced.

"Let me see." Alex helped the blonde stand and gently grabbed her foot. She tucked a chunk of black hair behind her ear as she examined the sole of Piper's foot. "Where did that even come from? There's no wood around here."

It was true—the path along the North side of the house was paved.

"I have no idea." Piper caught herself staring at Alex's porcelain-like face and almost lost her balance.

The brunette looked at her, and Piper quickly returned her gaze to her foot. "Can you walk?"

"If I want the splinter to sink further in my skin."

Alex stood more fully, releasing the blonde's foot. "Get on my back."

"What?" She creased her eyebrows.

"I'll take you over to my truck. I think I have tweezers in the glove box." She bent over as if waiting for Piper to hop on.

She climbed onto the other woman's back and took in a big whiff of freshly cut grass and baby powder. There was also a trace of Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen. She put her arms around Alex's neck and felt the heat from the brunette's body, causing something to stir within her.

"Am I hurting you?" Piper asked, pushing dark hair over one shoulder so she wouldn't yank it with her arms wrapped tightly around Alex's neck.

"No," she replied, placing her hands on Piper's calves. "You're light as a feather."

The blonde didn't know if she imagined it or not, but it felt like Alex was caressing her right calf.

"You're strong," Alex commented, squeezing her leg. "Runner?"

Piper leaned closer. "Yeah. Do you run?"

"No," she chuckled. "But I do a lot of manual labor; that's my exercise."

She set Piper down on the tailgate of her old, blue truck that had clearly been renovated. Immediately, Piper missed the feeling of Alex's body under hers. She rubbed her arms that almost burned from the lack of contact.

"Be right back." Alex disappeared, and Piper watched her walk away with purpose.

She smiled at Alex's wardrobe—old, ripped Levis that seemed to have been made exclusively for her and a green John Deere t-shirt with a small hole on the left shoulder and a faded yellow tractor on the front.

The dark haired woman returned with a pair of tweezers. "This ought to do the trick."

"How long have you worked for my parents?" Piper raised her leg, giving the other woman access to her foot.

"I don't just work for _them_." Alex gazed up at her before focusing on the splinter. "I take care of all of the homes on Sand Point Road."

"That's a lot." Piper flipped her foot so that the sunshine provided a spotlight on the troubled area.

"Sixteen main homes, five guest cottages," she said, poking at the splinter. "Does that hurt?"

She shook her head, enjoying the feel of Alex's other hand on the crook of her knee. "No." She leaned forward to watch Alex's handiwork. "Do you live around here?"

"Harvey Bankston lets me stay in his guest cottage. It's a pretty sweet deal—right on the water, plenty of shade, my own vegetable garden..." She yanked the tweezers back. "Got it!" She lifted the tweezers to show Piper the sliver of wood.

The blonde covered Alex's hand with her own and pulled it closer so she could get a good look at the splinter. "Wow, it's big."

She felt Alex's eyes on her and glanced up. The dark haired woman's smile was all _confidence_ , and Piper smiled back, knowing hers was far less self-assured.

"Thank you," Piper whispered, finally letting go of the other woman's hand.

"Anytime." She hopped on the tailgate next to the blonde. "It was time for me to take a break anyway."

"It's only 10 o'clock, and you're already taking a break?" Once again, Piper could feel the heat radiating off of Alex's body.

"I've been working since six," she replied, pulling an orange Gatorade out of a cooler. "Want a sip?"

She popped the cap, and Piper grabbed the bottle from her, their fingers briefly touching. It was almost like an electric shock. "Thanks." She took two gulps, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, never taking her eyes off of the brunette.

Alex grabbed the Gatorade and took three long sips. "So, what's your story?"

"My grandmother lived here before she passed away about 10 years ago. We only come up in the summer," she offered as she watched an orange droplet fall off Alex's chin. It took everything in her power not to reach out to catch it.

"I remember your grandmother. She used to give me candy necklaces." Alex handed the Gatorade back to the blonde. "But I meant your _personal_ story."

"Oh." Piper sat a little taller, trying to put a mental bookmark on finding out how Alex knew her grandma. "I'm going into my senior year at Smith College in Massachusetts, and I have an internship in Kennebunkport at a public relations firm starting in a little more than a week."

"Is that your major?" Alex brushed a dragonfly off Piper's shoulder, and the blonde followed her motion intently.

"No, English with a minor in theater."

Alex let out a short laugh. "Not a ton of jobs out there for those degrees, I would imagine."

"It's better than working in people's yards." Piper immediately regretted the jibe. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean…"

Alex raised her eyebrows, and the blonde could sense that she'd offended her companion if only for half a second.

"It's fine, kid." She hopped off the tailgate and dusted her butt off. "But just so you know, each homeowner pays me $5,000 a year-$7,000 if they have a guest house, plus I get a stipend for larger jobs that require more than just upkeep, like painting a shed or building a fence." She removed her glasses and cleaned the lenses with the hem of her shirt. "I rake in close to $150,000 a year, not to mention the fact that I get all the seafood and vegetables I could possibly eat, pretty much for free, on any given day."

"Alex, I…" She felt awful for offending the other woman and was astonished at the amount of money the brunette made. "I have a disease."

Alex creased her forehead. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's called foot-in-mouth disease." Piper nodded with a solemn expression. "And there's no cure."

"You know; I've heard of it." Alex gave her a tight smile. "But I've never seen someone with such a severe case."

"Yeah, it's pretty bad."

The brunette reached to help Piper off the lip of the truck. "But you're wrong about there being no cure."

She held onto Alex as she hopped down and felt the strength in her forearms. "Oh?"

"There's a certain kind of lobster that has medicinal qualities, and only _I_ know where to find these creatures." She waited for Piper to join her as they walked back towards the house.

"I see." Piper grinned. "Would you be willing to share these special lobsters?"

"I would." She looked down at the blonde with a grin of her own. "Come to my place tonight, and I'll see what I can do."

They reached the front door.

"Ok." Piper bit her lower lip.

"See you then, kid." Alex touched the back of her hand. "Hope your foot feels better."

"It already does."

With that, Alex turned down the path on the side of the house and revved up the weed eater again.

* * *

Thank you very much for the reviews so far. Keep them coming, please!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews so far! They really make my day. I'm going to post a picture that goes along with this story on my Tumblr page later today if you're interested in checking it out. (My handle is saintsavory.) Also, someone asked for an estimate on how long this story will be. It's 100 pages in Microsoft Word, but I don't know how that will break down into chapters yet.

* * *

Piper entered the house, leaned her back against the door, closed her eyes, and sighed. She'd never met anyone like Alex and _craved_ more time with her. She hadn't expected the brunette to ask her to dinner, but unless she was reading the signals wrong, Alex _most definitely_ extended a dinner invitation under the guise of curing Piper's fictitious disease.

"It stinks in here," Polly commented from the stairwell.

Her other friends stirred in the living room.

"Why did we smoke that much pot?" One of them asked with an arm flung over her eyes.

"Because we wanted to wake up feeling miserable?" Bryn offered with sarcasm. "And don't you think the way we're feeling has more to do with mixing three kinds of alcohol than smoking out of a Coke can bong?"

Piper had almost forgotten that her friends were in the house, and she definitely forgot that it was her birthday.

"Who's making the cinnamon rolls?" she asked, taking a step into the living room.

"Not me!" They all shouted in unison.

Piper devised a plan that involved two of them making breakfast while the rest of them cleaned the house. She informed her friends that the party would have to be cut short as her parents were planning to arrive at some point that day.

After eating the ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls and fatty bacon, she called her dad to enquire about their arrival time.

"Hi, sweetheart. Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, dad."

"Did you have fun last night?" he asked.

"Um, yeah." She rubbed her forehead. "I was thinking of driving to Kennebunkport this morning. I've celebrated so many birthdays there, and it would be kind of nice to be on the water today."

"I'm glad to hear that. Your mother and I are heading there later with Cal," he began. "Why don't you come home, and we'll ride together?"

"Actually, um, all of my stuff from the dorm is in boxes at Polly's house, so I figured I'd load my car and just head there early," Piper tried.

"That's an awfully long drive for you to make alone," her father said.

"I've done it before," she offered.

"Well, alright. We'll be there around two o'clock. I'll boil lobsters tonight if you want."

She didn't have the heart to tell her dad that she was going to feast on lobsters that night with Alex. "Actually, I've got plans to hang out with the Russo boys and Katy O'Sullivan. We're, uh, we're going to roast hot dogs and marshmallows on the beach." She closed her eyes, regretting the lies but finding them utterly necessary. "I hope you don't mind, daddy. We can have a late lunch together at Arundel's if you want."

"You know I love their chowder," he responded. "Ok, we'll see you in a few hours. Drive safe."

"I will. See you soon." She hung up and felt a weight lifted off her shoulders, but she was still riddled with guilt about the two lies she'd told her father. To be fair, her party at their summer home was more of a lie of omission, but lying to him about driving up to Maine that day was a bold faced falsity.

The girls went for a walk on the beach so that they could breathe in some fresh air and to see if, upon their return, the house smelled less like a marijuana farm. Her folks would flip if they knew she'd smoked out on occasion, and they'd blow a gasket if they knew she'd done so in their home.

As they walked on the pebbly beach, Piper's heart fluttered when she spotted Alex in a skiff, lifting lobster pots. The brunette was about 50 yards offshore, but she was confident it was Alex with her jet black hair and almost six-foot stature. Piper couldn't tell if the woman had caught anything, but a smile crossed her face as she thought about the lobsters that would be prepared for _her_ that evening.

Piper's friends left shortly after 1 o'clock, two of them too hungover to complain about their stay being cut short. The blonde promised that they'd have ample opportunities to hang out in Kennebunkport when she began living there full-time for her internship that would run through Labor Day. They seemed fine with Piper's pseudo-invitation and promised to come back even with short notice.

When the blonde walked back into the house, she was thankful that the smell of pot had vanished and it was all put back together the way it was when she'd first stepped inside the day before. She took the empty alcohol bottles to the dump at the campground a couple of miles away, so there was no indication that they'd consumed two bottles of tequila, one of vodka and six cans of beer.

* * *

Piper didn't have to wait long for her parents to arrive, and she hoped that they didn't recognize Polly's car on the way out of town. (That would have been a miracle, but she still worried.) Cal didn't even get out of the car when they pulled into the driveway; instead, he rolled down the window and complained about being starving. Piper joined her family in the Range Rover as they headed into town for lunch.

As hard as she tried, Piper had a difficult time keeping Alex off of her mind. She'd been captivated by the dark haired woman over Memorial Day weekend, and to think that just two weeks later, they'd have dinner together was enough to send her heart racing. Piper had been thinking about what it would feel like to kiss another girl, but she'd never considered kissing a _woman_ , and Alex was definitely a woman—full-time job, lived on her own, and from a physical standpoint, curves in places only _women_ had.

Piper thought about Alex's broad shoulders when she'd wrapped her arms around them; the smell of freshly cut grass in her hair and baby powder on her neck. The blonde wondered if Alex was all contrasts—muscular build with soft features; manual labor with a brilliant mind.

Her mother's question about her future internship woke her from her reverie, and Piper knew she needed to focus on her family rather than the mysterious Alex Vause…at least for the time being.

* * *

The white lie she'd told her parents about her whereabouts that night would have to suffice. They rarely left the grounds of their summer home, so there was a good chance that Piper's plan would go off without a hitch. She dressed in a short, simple turquoise-colored cotton dress with spaghetti straps and a thin elastic band around the waist. No one wore closed-toe shoes in the summer, so Piper slipped on her favorite pair of Reefs, dabbed a hint of gloss on her lips, and dried her hair using a round brush, giving it a little extra bounce.

"I'm leaving. Don't wait up for me," she called as she walked out of the front door. Piper was happy to not have a curfew since she'd gone to college. She'd never abused her time out with friends, which only instilled her parents' trust in her as the years went on. If they found out what she was up to that evening, she would likely get a stern lecture from her father about lying, and one from her mother about _fraternizing with the help_.

As she made her way down the quiet blacktop road, Piper suddenly felt her stomach churn as if she was going down a steep drop on a roller coaster. What if Alex had invited other guests, too? What if the brunette was just being nice by inviting her to dinner? Maybe this was a friend thing—Alex might've wanted some company when her regular friends weren't around.

Would being friends with Alex be that bad? She stopped to take a deep breath and contemplate her answer. The truth was, Piper was attracted to the older woman, that much was certain, but could she put that attraction aside and _just be friends_ if that was all Alex was seeking? Piper had never been the other half of an unrequited crush. Sure, she'd broken boys' hearts in the past, but it had always been _her_ decision to walk away from them.

She picked up her pace, wondering if it would be best just to turn around and _actually_ hang out with Katy O'Sullivan that night.

"Long walk?" Alex called from the ring of Adirondack chairs.

"The longest." She tucked her hair behind her ear. Now that she'd been seen, there was no backing out. "We never settled on a time, so I figured I'd just..."

Alex smiled as she tossed a plump cushion onto one of the chairs. "Now is fine."

"I've never been down here." Piper walked a few more steps onto the lawn and scanned the property. "It's beautiful."

The cottage was small with cedar shingles that had been stained a grayish color from the salt water. There was a large window in the front with Navy blue shutters on either side, and the screen door was propped open with a stack of books. On the South side of the house were three mature hydrangea bushes with pink and purple flowers. On the North side was a series of honey-trumpet foxgloves and a lilac bush that nearly reached the pitch of the roof. The most impressive part of the property, though, was the view.

Unlike the Chapman's home, which had a view straight out onto the ocean, Alex's cottage was perched at an angle, so she could see a row of four or five homes, the steep drop to the beach about halfway down the road, and the vast ocean as the waves crashed against the rocky shore. To the right of the property was the main inlet where boats could sail to the protected Kennebunkport Marina for safe harbor. There appeared to be a grassy path along the inlet to walk to the marina as well. Hers was the last house on the private road, flanked by a thick patch of trees to the South and West.

The brunette adjusted her glasses. "Considering I don't pay rent, I'd say it's the best deal around."

Alex wore khaki shorts and a white linen blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. One too many buttons were undone at the top, giving Piper a nice peek at her cleavage. Piper had to avert her eyes and remind herself to admire the _other_ stunning view of land and sea.

"Give me a tour." She'd meant for that to come out as a request, but somehow it sounded more like a demand. (There were other things that Piper wanted to demand, but touring Alex's cottage had to be enough just then. Besides, she needed to focus on something other than Alex's body until her pulse slowed and she could _breathe normally_ in front of her hostess.)

Alex held her arm out as if indicating _right this way_. As Piper stepped in front of her, she could smell Alex's perfume or lotion or whatever the fuck it was that made her smell like salt water and grass. It assaulted her senses—she stopped in the doorway, hand on the jamb, and turned her head slightly to the left. Piper didn't know what possessed her, but when she looked up at Alex, all she could think about was kissing her full lips.

The taller woman almost bumped into her, and the moment passed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Piper looked down, embarrassed by her sudden desire. "Why don't you go first…I don't know where I'm going."

"It's not like it's a mansion or anything," the brunette chuckled, sliding past her in the tight doorway. Piper felt the faint touch of Alex's fingertips on her waist as she switched positions. "In fact, it's just over 500 square feet."

Piper glanced around the small but well-appointed space. "Wow."

The floor was glazed Boston brick, and the walls were white-washed wood. The ceiling pointed in an A-frame that made the space feel light and airy with track lights directed towards the kitchen and a ceiling fan over the living room. There was a divided wall leading into the bedroom that featured rows and rows of books resting in all sorts of positions on built-in bookcases. A white ladder was propped up against one portion of the bookshelf, presumably to get to the hardest to reach novels on the top shelf. On the left side of the space was a well-worn leather sofa that reminded Piper of the one her father had in his study. He used to tell the kids not to play on it, because it was a priceless antique. She wondered if Alex would eventually invite her to _play_ on her leather sofa.

"This is lovely," the blonde commented. If she had a place of her own, Piper would want it to resemble this.

"Thanks." Alex ran her hand along the arm of the sofa. "It was boarded up for years. After my mom died, Mr. Bankston said I could stay here if I agreed to fix it up."

"I'm sorry about your mom." Piper put a hand on Alex's wrist, and immediately let go, worried that she might've overstepped. "When did she pass away?"

"Five years ago," she sighed. "She'd been the caretaker for 20 years. When she died, I kind of just took over."

"Did you have to quit school?" Piper folded her arms so as not to errantly reach out to touch the brunette. It seemed downright impossible _not_ to touch her—it was as if her hands were magnets, trying almost of their own accord to connect with Alex.

"No," she admitted, tossing a chunk of black hair over one shoulder. "I was never good at the whole 'school' thing."

"But you have all these books." She walked over to the bookshelf, gently pulling one halfway off the shelf to read the cover.

"I've always loved reading; that has nothing to do with the kind of academic experience that was forced down my throat in high school." Alex stepped beside her and pulled a book off the shelf. "I could tell you more about the Civil Rights Movement after reading _Carry Me Home_ than any fucking textbook we used in class." She showed Piper the cover of the book, and then put it back in its place. "Just because I didn't go to college doesn't mean I'm uneducated."

"I hope that's not what I insinuated." Piper creased her forehead and then tried to think of a way to recover. She licked her lips and stood a little taller. " _It's what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it_."

"Oscar Wilde?" A small smile crept on Alex's face. " _The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame_."

She recognized the Wilde quote immediately. "Touché."

Not even ten minutes after her arrival, and Piper was already captivated by her hostess. They remained silent for a moment, both examining each other as if they'd discovered a pearl in an oyster.

Alex shoved her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose. "We could toss Oscar Wilde quotes around all night, or we could get to the business of eating and drinking."

The blonde smiled. "What do you have to drink?"

Alex ambled into the small kitchen and opened the vintage Frigidaire. "Narragansett, Sam Adams, lemonade, and Pinot Grigio."

Piper didn't dare remind her that she wasn't yet 21. She touched the light blue refrigerator with appreciation and stepped to the side. "I'll have whatever you're having."

The dark haired woman pulled out two cans. "Lager or Light?"

She chose the red can, and popped it open at the same time as Alex.

"To unexpected encounters," Alex said, tapping her can against Piper's.

"Cheers." The blonde took her first sip of the lager, not taking her eyes off of her hostess.

"It's too gorgeous outside to be in here." She opened her arm, gesturing outdoors. "Shall we?"

"You have a charming place." She followed the brunette to the Adirondack chairs. "I could spend hours in your room."

She lifted an eyebrow.

"That's not what I meant…" Piper corrected. "I…"

"It's that damn disease." Alex positioned two chairs directly towards the ocean, thick wooden armrests touching. "Lucky for you, I have the cure." She sat in one and motioned for Piper to join her. "And you're welcome to spend _hours_ in my home." An enchanted smile danced on the brunette's face.

Piper sat down and tried to hide her blushing cheeks with the beer can. She really did have foot-in-mouth disease, and it surfaced at the worst possible moments.

Alex gazed towards the horizon. "This view never gets old."

Piper stared at the other woman long enough to blink twice. "No, it doesn't."

Alex turned her head and looked at the blonde with a knowing smile before returning her gaze to the Atlantic. "One of the best parts of my job is that I get to see the ocean from different angles all day."

"That _is_ pretty cool." She finally felt her cheeks return to their normal color. "I don't know if I want to be in an office all day. I'm kind of restless."

"I could never have a desk job," Alex admitted. "Or have a boss, telling me what the fuck to do."

The blonde took a sip of beer. "So what _do_ you do, exactly?"

"After Labor Day, it's mostly winterizing the homes—removing window screens, protecting pipes, storing outdoor furniture—that sort of thing." She took a sip of beer. "In the fall and winter, it's all about fixing whatever the families broke or damaged in the summer. Sometimes it's big things, like installing a new water heater or repairing a broken window."

"Can you do those things at your own pace?" She put her arm on the wooden armrest, hoping Alex would do the same so their arms would touch.

"Yeah, that's the beauty of the off season—I get a lot of down time." Alex did exactly that, lowering her left arm to rest inches away from Piper's. "Spring and summer are insane though—mowing lawns, putting screens back up, pruning bushes, sanding decks, putting Freon in air conditioners, hiring contractors and housekeepers…I could go on and on."

"You don't clean houses?" Piper asked.

"Fuck, no." She shoved one sleeve higher, and when she set her arm back down, it touched Piper's. "That is one thing I definitely do _not_ do."

"Do you like your job?" Piper took a sip of beer, can now in her left hand making it a bit awkward to drink, but she dared not move her other arm now that it was touching Alex's.

"Most of the time, yeah," the brunette began. "When it's stormy outside, it's hard to get shit done. Or when a hurricane threatens the Northeastern seaboard—that fucking sucks."

"But most hurricanes don't make it this far North," she offered.

"Thank God." Alex leaned forward. "You getting hungry?"

She grinned. "I'm famished."

The dark haired woman stood, chunking her empty can into a nearby recycle bin. "Help me set the table?"

"Sure." Piper followed close behind. "I didn't even realize how good it smelled in here a few minutes ago." ( _That's because you were too busy sniffing your hostess_ , she thought to herself.)

She opened the oven and pulled out a large pot. "I hope you like lobster bisque."

Piper took in the sweet smell of heavy cream and lobster. "It's my favorite." And it was. She used to beg her parents to cook it during her younger years, but it was a rare occasion when they did.

The brunette lifted the lid and moved to the side a bit so that Piper could peer into the pot. Using her free hand, Alex reached for a spoon, bending her body in an awkward position that revealed a sliver of her stomach. Piper involuntarily licked her lips. If she was caught, she could blame it on her desire to taste the bisque.

"Try this." The dark haired woman dabbed the spoon in the liquid and blew on it a few times before lifting it to Piper's mouth.

The blonde swallowed the thick soup. " _Oh, my God_. That's like crack."

Alex raised her eyebrows and smirked. "You've done crack?"

"No, but I assume this is a similar sort of experience, you know, with the craving." She wiped the corners of her mouth with her fingers. "Do you cook often?"

"Almost every day." Alex used the same spoon to taste for herself, and the blonde wondered if her hostess could taste any of her saliva on the spoon. "Maybe a little more pepper." Alex cracked fresh pepper into the pot. "I typically cook simple stuff—in the summer, it's all about the fresh produce and seafood."

"You mentioned that you have a garden." Piper took it upon herself to grab the spoons and cloth napkins that were on the narrow counter.

"Lay this down first." Alex handed her a white, somewhat tattered linen tablecloth that looked both casual and chic, and Piper wondered if it was handed down from her mother.

Piper did as she was told and proceeded to the picnic table just outside. She could still hear Alex from indoors with no trouble.

"I only have an herb garden here, but the Steins let me pick whatever vegetables I want in their yard." She ladled two scoops into each bowl. "In exchange, I take care of it year-round."

Piper returned inside, and Alex handed her the bowls. "That's a treat."

"Tell me about it," the brunette replied. "Fresh vegetables in almost every season. In fact, I have a salad with three kinds of lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden to go with the bisque." She reached into the Frigidaire and pulled out a large, ceramic bowl. "The bread should be ready in a minute."

The blonde took the bowl and saw a pair of salad tongs in a container, so she grabbed those and proceeded outside.

When she returned, Alex asked, "Are you gonna stick with beer, or do you want white wine with dinner?"

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'll have some wine."

"Glasses are on the second shelf to the right." Alex jutted her head in that direction. She reached into the refrigerator again and pulled out a bottle of white wine that had already been uncorked.

The blonde found the glasses and held them out for her hostess to pour a few ounces into each one. "For a small space, you seem to have everything you need."

Alex smiled. "If I don't, there are a shitload of houses that I can let myself into to borrow something."

"I never thought about that." She waited for Alex to put a decorative wine stopper into the bottle and walk outside to the picnic table. Piper was close behind. "You can access any of these houses at almost any time."

"Sure can." Alex looked the table over. "Nice job setting things up, kid."

"Do you do that? I mean, go inside without the owners knowing?"

Alex regarded the blonde as if trying to figure out if she could trust her. "Rarely. If I know a homeowner has something that I need, like an electric mixer or something, I do, but I keep to myself for the most part. I might be known to _occasionally_ take a dip in the Showalter's pool, but you didn't hear that from me."

The blonde giggled. "Who hasn't?"

"You've done that?" She lifted her brows. "I guess I need to put a lock on their gate to keep little vandals like you out."

Piper batted her eyelashes. "If you do, your secret is _not_ safe with me."

The dark haired woman snickered as she walked back inside. "I'll grab the bread, and then we can dig in."

Piper sat down and took in her surroundings. The way she and Alex had moved in the kitchen, the view of the ocean, and the fact that her hostess had prepared her favorite meal without even realizing it felt like all these little wonders— _like this was where she belonged_.

* * *

They ate the scrumptious meal, conversation never lacking, and flip-flopped between who answered questions while the other person took bites of food. Everything flowed effortlessly, and it felt _completely natural_.

"That was delicious." Piper covered her belly. "You're a damn good cook."

"Glad you liked it." She topped the blonde's glass off with the last of the Pinot Grigio. "I have something for you. Be right back." Alex hooked her leg over the picnic bench seat, and Piper watched her saunter back into the house. Seconds later, Alex peeked out of the doorway, hand on each side of the door jamb. "I need like ten minutes. Make yourself comfortable; drink your wine. There's a blanket in that big box if you're cold."

Piper leaned back, closed her eyes and took in the sweet, summer air. She didn't have a care in the world in that moment—being in Alex's presence was all that mattered. The evening had been magical, and she didn't want it to end.

She started getting a little chilly, so she took her hostess' advice and grabbed two blankets from the bin. One looked thick and worn, so she laid it down on the lawn. The other was softer and wider, so she used it to cover her legs after sitting cross-legged on the ground.

The brunette returned outside with a bottle in hand.

Piper craned her neck all the way back and looked at Alex upside down. "I forgot my wine glass on the table."

Without missing a beat, Alex picked up Piper's glass and downed the contents. "Hold this." She handed her the new bottle, then disappeared again.

Piper read the label. "1997 Sauternes."

Alex returned with her own glass, and then sat next to Piper. "It was a gift from Mr. Bankston a couple of years ago." She poured the liquid into each glass. "He has a wine cellar that would blow your fucking mind."

The blonde grabbed the bottle again and read the back label. "Sauternes wines darken with age, often starting out pale yellow to straw and getting darker as years progress, sometimes progressing to a light brown. With ageing potential over 100 years, Sauternes are highly collectible wines. The most famous of Sauternes is the Chateau d'Yquem. They are beautiful served chilled with rich dishes including fois gras, crème brulee, chocolate, or with soft cheeses."

"All I knew was that it was sweet," Alex admitted with a chuckle.

"This is probably _very_ expensive." She lowered the bottle. "Are you sure you want to share it with me?"

"Too late for that." She raised her glass and took a sip. "Oh, and happy birthday."

In the middle of her sip, Piper nearly choked. "You remembered."

"There's very little I forget." She adjusted her glasses, then stood. "One more thing..." She jogged back into the house. Seconds later, Alex came outside with two dishes in her hands.

The blonde twisted her body around. "What are those?"

"Blueberry tarts." She extended one to Piper, and then sat next to her again, tossing two forks onto the blanket. "I picked the berries myself earlier today. Even if it tastes like shit, I need you to tell me it doesn't." Alex set the pie down and showed the blonde scratches on her arm. "Those blueberry bushes pack a mean punch."

"You cut yourself!" Piper grabbed her arm and brought it closer. "I'm sorry. You didn't have to maim yourself for me."

"Are you kidding?" She laughed, not pulling away. "I get scratches, cuts and bruises all over my body every fucking day! What's a few more for the sake of blueberry tarts?" She took a sip of wine. "After all, it _is_ your birthday."

The blonde bit her lower lip. "Thank you."

Alex cut into the personal-sized dessert. "I would've made one, big pie, but I didn't have enough berries."

"This is _really_ good," Piper said around a mouthful. "It's not too sweet, and the crust has that perfect crunch. I'd ask for the recipe, but I don't cook…or bake, for that matter."

The brunette swallowed. "It's not exactly birthday cake, but…"

"…it's a close second," Piper finished with a genuinely appreciative smile.

The women finished their tarts and drank more Sauternes as the blonde filled Alex in on her upcoming internship.

When they were done eating, Alex laid down on the blanket, arms behind her head. "I love when the stars are out like this."

Piper mirrored her position, pulling the blanket over both of them before lying down. "I want to live on Sand Point Road _now_ ," she blurted out. "I shouldn't have to wait another week."

The dark haired woman turned her head. "Why can't you just stay in town until your internship starts?"

She shrugged. "My dad said there's no reason for me to 'do nothing' all day by myself in Kennebunkport. I told him that I don't do much at home in Connecticut either, so what's the point?"

"What if you helped me around here?"

Piper swung her head around, brows creased. "I can't do what you do."

"I'm guessing you're a quick learner." Alex propped herself up on her elbows. "I have a 'to do list' eight pages long, and every task has to be done before July 4th…Be my assistant. Help me."

The blonde turned on her side, propping herself up on an elbow, to face her companion. "Seriously?"

"Why not?" Alex positioned herself the same way. "I'd even pay you. It won't be much, but it'll be enough to prove to your dad that you're not wasting your days away before you start the internship."

"I've never even hammered a nail into a wall," she confessed.

"Even a monkey could do that," she replied with sarcasm.

"Are you calling me a monkey?" Piper's expression turned mock serious.

"I've seen monkeys change light bulbs before, so you're not even at monkey status." Alex's laughter filled the air, and Piper couldn't get enough.

She lightheartedly shoved the brunette's hip. Before Piper had a chance to remove her hand, Alex covered it with her own. They stared at each other, both smiling for a beat, before Alex let go.

"Will you coach me through it?" Piper asked.

"Yeah."

They laid that way for the next five minutes, breathing in the summer air laced with honeysuckle and campfires. If Piper hadn't wanted the earlier part of their time together to end, she refused to have this part come to its conclusion.

"What if we just stayed here, like this, forever?" the blonde whispered.

"I could get behind that..." Alex sat up. "If I didn't have to pee so fucking bad."

Piper snorted.

The brunette offered her hand. "It's getting late, kid. You should probably head home."

Piper grabbed her hand and allowed her companion to pull her into a standing position. "Yeah, you're probably right." She bemoaned the sadness in her tone.

"I'll walk you home." The women were still holding hands, and when Alex dropped hers, Piper shivered from the loss of contact.

They walked up the grassy incline.

"I thought you had to pee?"

The brunette looked at her. "Hey, you're freezing."

"I'm ok." Piper crossed her arms and shivered, noticing goosebumps on her arms.

"Tell you what, I'm gonna run inside to use the bathroom, and I'll grab a jacket for you." She'd already started walking backwards towards the cottage.

Piper smiled, no room for rebuttal.

A few minutes later, Alex wrapped a heather gray hoodie around the blonde's shoulders. "That better?"

"Yeah, thank you." Piper looked up at her, hoping this might be the moment when Alex leaned a few inches down and kissed her.

"You bet."

They walked at a relatively brisk pace four doors down to the Chapman home.

"Where did you tell your parents you were tonight?" Alex inquired.

The blonde kept her head bowed. "Why wouldn't I tell them the truth?"

"You don't have a good track record for the truth when it comes to them," Alex chuckled, brushing her dark hair out of her face.

"I told them I was hanging out with Katy O'Sullivan and the Russo twins." She glanced up and shrugged. "They don't know that you and I know each other yet."

"Katy O'Sullivan, huh?" Alex wrapped her fingers around the edges of her eyeglasses and adjusted them. "She's cute."

How dare Alex say that _Katy_ was cute? "I guess, if you like out of shape rich girls with no aspirations."

Alex snorted. "I actually prefer tall blondes with _high_ aspirations."

Piper stopped walking, and Alex took a few steps back as they stood face to face.

"Tonight was nice, kid." She sobered. "It's been a while since I've had a _great_ conversation."

"Likewise." She could definitely get lost in those hazel eyes.

The brunette smiled, shoving one hand in her pocket. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

"I hope so."

"Ok…well, I guess this is goodbye for now." Alex adjusted the top of the gray hoodie around Piper's shoulders, making it less bunched up.

"Thank you again," the blonde said. "Everything was…it was… _delightful_."

"That's a word I don't hear every day." She grinned. "Hope you had a nice birthday."

"I did. See you tomorrow." Piper stuck one hand in the air to wave as she backed down the pathway to the front door.

"Night." Alex waved back.

Once she was inside and assured no one was in the living room, Piper leaned her back against the door, closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. This was shaping up to be the best summer ever.

* * *

This chapter was twice as long as my usual posts, but I felt that if I cut it down, it would have lost some of its punch. I hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Chapter 4

Although she had a hard time falling asleep as she recalled every detail of her evening with Alex, once Piper was asleep, she was out like a light. It wasn't until Cal jumped on her bed the next morning at 9 a.m. when the blonde finally stirred.

"What the fuck, Cal?" She pulled the sheets higher.

"Theo invited me to go sailing, and mom won't take me to the marina," he complained. "Will you take me? Please? I'll pay you back somehow."

"Go away!" She rubbed her eyes. "Give me a few minutes to think about it."

"Fine, but I need to be there by 9:30!" He jumped off the bed and ran out of her room.

Piper kept her eyes shut as she slowly started to wake. Her lips tugged up as she remembered the night before. Her face broke into a thousand-watt smile, and she actually laughed at herself for being downright giddy. If she took Cal down to the marina, he'd owe her, and she could probably find some use in that in the near future.

She heard a tap on her door. "Will you take me?"

"Yes," she grumbled. "But I'm writing this down. You owe me big time."

"I _totally_ do, sis. Thank you!"

Never one to break a promise, Piper slipped on her bikini (in lieu of a bra), khaki shorts and a Nike tank top before heading downstairs to take her brother to the marina.

"Good morning, sweetheart," her father greeted. "What are you going to do when your internship starts and you can't sleep until mid-morning?"

"Probably go to bed earlier," she replied safely, grabbing a banana off the counter and heading out the door, Cal right behind.

"Wear sunscreen!" was the last thing she heard her mother call as they closed the door behind them.

The siblings were mostly silent on the short drive to the marina, and Piper kept her eyes peeled for her new friend, but she didn't spot the dark haired woman anywhere. When she returned home, she'd tell her parents about Alex's offer to help with the upkeep of the properties along Sand Point Road.

"Bye." She put the car in park. "Don't be an asshole."

Cal chuckled. "I won't. Thanks for the ride."

Piper was excited for Cal to grow into an adult—he had so much potential and she hoped he'd use it appropriately instead of getting mixed up with the wrong crowd. He'd been pretty good so far, but one wrong turn, and he could be easily influenced to not give a damn.

She parked the car in the driveway and considered walking over to Alex's cottage, but she didn't want to seem too eager. Besides, she had no idea if the brunette was even home.

"Mom, dad," she began. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"What is it?" her father asked, newspaper hiding his face.

She sat on a kitchen stool. "I have an opportunity to make some money this summer before my internship begins."

"Doing what?" Carol asked in a skeptical tone.

"You know the caretaker, Alex?" She didn't wait for them to confirm. "She has a long list of things that have to get done before Independence Day, and she asked if I wanted to help."

"Ha!" Carol threw her head back. "Don't be silly, Piper. You can't fix things!"

"It's not that I _can't_ ; it's just that I've never tried." She reached for an apple in the basket to her left, giving her something to do with her hands.

Bill lowered the newspaper and creased his brow. "When did you meet Alex?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "I've just kind of always known of her."

"I don't think you'd be much of an assistant," her mom commented, dipping a tea bag in and out of her cup.

Piper turned to her dad. "You told me that I didn't have anything to do this summer until my internship started, and now I have an opportunity that would pay me to be active and contribute to society. I really want to give it a try."

Bill scratched his chin. "Is this your way of asking to move here a week early?"

She met his eyes, unwilling to back down. "I'd be up at sunrise and probably wouldn't be finished until sunset, so I won't really be alone."

"Plus, Alex can be responsible for you," he mumbled. Turning to his daughter, Bill continued. "Ok, but if I find out that this is some sort of scheme that would allow you to lay in the sun all day, working on your _tan_ instead of the yard, you're going to face serious consequences."

Piper refrained from rolling her eyes—she was 20 years old, so to think that she could still suffer _consequences_ from her parents was absurd. However, her father held the power to remove her from Kennebunkport altogether, and she didn't want to risk that—not after just meeting Alex.

"I understand," she replied, tossing the apple in her hands. "I'll let Alex know. Thanks, daddy." She kissed her father on the cheek and left the room before she could hear her mom complain about what a terrible idea this was.

Piper went upstairs and texted her new friend. "Hi it's Piper. I can help you with tasks around here, but you have to pay me."

She brushed her teeth, washed her face and headed downstairs with _The Festival of Insignificance_ tucked under one arm. "I'll be on the deck," she called.

Piper checked her phone every few minutes, hoping to hear from Alex, but an hour went by without communication. She didn't know if Alex worked on Sundays, and she wondered where the brunette might be if not toiling at one house or another. The blonde turned onto her back and reapplied sunscreen to her arms and legs, when she heard her phone buzz. She picked up the mobile device, not caring that her hands were covered with sunscreen.

 _Be at my place at 6 am tomorrow._

That wasn't the text she'd wanted to receive from the dark haired woman, but at least it meant that she was serious about her offer to allow Piper to work with her.

Piper went inside and grabbed a pad of paper and pen so that she could write down the items she still needed from her house in Connecticut. It was true that she'd transported four boxes of stuff she'd taken home from the dorm that had been stored at Polly's house, but there were at least five or six professional outfits that she needed from home for her internship, not to mention appropriate footwear. She'd have to trek home the following weekend to get the things she'd left behind, unless she could convince Cal to FaceTime and gather everything she needed to deliver when her family would surely go to the summer home the following weekend.

Despite going for two walks and a bike ride, Piper never saw Alex that Sunday. She went to bed early that night, wondering if maybe Alex was a church goer, and perhaps that's where she'd spent the better part of the day. _Nah_. Maybe she'd gone to brunch with friends or took the train into Portland to do some shopping. Visions of Alex trying on tight jeans was the last thing on her mind before dozing off into a peaceful night of sleep.

* * *

The shrill of her alarm clock at 5:30 a.m. was enough to give her a heart attack. She shot out of bed, rubbing her hands down her face and taking a few deep breaths. It took her only a second to remember why she was waking up so fucking early: Alex.

The blonde dressed as she did every day in the summer, and jogged downstairs for a cup of coffee and a granola bar.

"You're awake," her father greeted.

She put her hand over her heart. "You scared me."

"Sorry, sweetheart." He stood and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. "Coffee?"

She nodded as she opened the refrigerator and found the creamer.

Usually on Mondays in the summer, they'd leave Kennebunkport around 9 am so her father could work half a day back in Connecticut.

"Be careful with manual labor," he said, filling her mug. "You can easily get hurt. I smashed my thumb with a hammer once, and my nail fell off."

"Gross." She took a sip of the Italian roast.

"And treat Alex with respect—she does great work around here, and I'd hate for you to screw up what she's got going."

"I won't." She ripped open the granola bar.

Not that she thought otherwise, but it was nice to hear that her dad respected Alex.

"I better head out." She took three more sips of hot coffee, downed the granola bar and stepped into her flip flops. "Have a safe trip back to Connecticut."

Her father waved. "Good luck, sweetheart."

Piper walked into the cool morning air. She draped Alex's jacket over one arm so she could return it to her but was tempted to put it on. She'd forgotten how much the temperature dropped overnight near the water, and a tank top did little to protect her from the nip in the air.

Her heart beat a little faster with every step towards Alex's house. She was positively giddy to see the dark haired woman again, and the thought of spending the entire day with her brought a wide smile to her face.

Piper spotted the brunette across the street near a shed that was set about 30 feet back from the road.

"Hi, I'm here," she announced. "Right on time."

Alex shoved something into the back of her old Chevy truck and eyed Piper up and down. "We're not going to the beach, kid."

She looked at her shorts and tank top, then back up at Alex. "Was I supposed to wear something different?"

"We're going to be doing a lot of shit that could cut your legs or drop on your toes." The dark haired woman removed her thick work gloves. "Come with me."

Piper felt bad for not understanding what she should've worn, but she hadn't been told anything other than, _help me_ , by Alex.

The brunette adjusted her glasses as she walked across the road to her cottage, looking back once to ensure Piper was following. Piper hoped it wasn't all work all the time—she didn't agree to help so that she could _actually_ help—she just wanted to spend time with the fascinating woman.

Alex opened the screen door, allowing Piper to enter first, and then she passed the blonde and headed into her bedroom. Piper hadn't gotten a tour of _that_ room two nights ago, and she remained just outside so as not to invade her companion's personal space.

There was a double bed with what appeared to be a homemade headboard made out of two old wooden doors. Everything was white or gray in the room, and it looked like it could be featured in one of her mother's coastal magazines. The room smelled exactly like Alex—grassy, salty, with a touch of baby powder and sunscreen.

Alex opened an antique armoire and pulled out two pairs of jeans. "Try these."

Her eyes shot open as she stepped into the bedroom. "You want me to wear your pants?"

"It's either that or you go back home to put on a pair of your own." She shrugged. "We don't have time to waste, Piper."

She folded her arms, not allowing her companion to get the best of her. "I like to begin my day with _'Good morning'_."

Alex's face had been hard to read so far that morning, but a small grin finally surfaced, setting Piper more at ease.

The dark haired woman took a step closer. "Good morning, Piper."

She tilted her head and smiled. "Good morning, Alex. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she let out a low chuckle.

"Isn't that better?" Piper enquired.

Alex brushed a strand of long, blonde hair over Piper's shoulder and followed the movement with her eyes. "It is."

The voltage in the air was palpable, and for a moment, the blonde thought they might kiss, but Alex backed away, running that same hand through her own hair.

"I didn't get any work done around here yesterday, and we have a lot to accomplish today." She walked out of the bedroom, leaving Piper a little depressed. "Have you eaten breakfast?"

Piper pulled off her shorts and tried on the first pair of jeans. "I ate a granola bar."

"You're going to need more than that in the future, kid."

The jeans were a little loose, but they'd work. She peeked inside the wardrobe to see Alex's other clothes. It was mostly work stuff, but there were a few dresses and slacks hanging up as well.

"How do they fit?" She called from the other room.

"They're fine." Piper shut the armoire and stared at the disheveled bed. It took all of her strength not to pick up one of the pillows to smell it.

"Look in the closet for a pair of closed-toe shoes. You can't wear flip flops."

She did as she was told and saw seven or eight pairs of casual shoes and one pair of black, patent leather pumps. Piper could only imagine what her companion would look like wearing _those_.

She slipped on a pair of hiking boots that were too big, then she tried a pair of black Nike sneakers. "If I put on some thick socks, these should work."

"Socks are in the dresser—third drawer," the brunette called.

Piper opened the drawer and looked for the thickest pair of socks. She covered her mouth with one hand and jumped back when she saw a small, silver vibrator. "Oh, God," she whispered to herself. "Ohgod, ohgod, ohgod." Heart pounding, she snatched a pair of red socks and shut the drawer hard. She didn't know if she should tell Alex what she'd seen or just keep her mouth shut.

Just then, the brunette appeared in the doorway. "All set?"

She didn't look up—simply concentrated on putting the socks and shoes on her feet. "Yeah, thanks. I'll wear more appropriate attire tomorrow."

"Here. Eat this." Alex handed her a breakfast sandwich.

"You didn't have to do that." The blonde stood, hoping her cheeks weren't red from embarrassment. "Thank you."

"I don't want you to pass out on me, kid." Alex turned and walked out again. "Let's get out of here."

Piper followed close behind as she ate the breakfast sandwich and listened to Alex explain what they needed to pack in the truck. Her mind kept going back to the bullet she'd just seen in Alex's drawer, and despite trying to shove that image into the bowels of her brain, she couldn't help but imagine Alex pleasuring herself with the device.

She shoved the last of the bacon & egg concoction into her mouth and put on the work gloves that the brunette handed her. Piper lifted the front end of a wheel barrow, and Alex lifted the back as they hoisted it over the tailgate and into the flatbed. Five minutes later, the truck was loaded and Piper was already feeling the burn of her biceps.

"Get in." Alex opened the driver's door and waited for the blonde to join her.

She slid all the way over on the bench seat. "What are we doing today?"

"I like to do the sweaty stuff early in the morning, so we'll haul firewood down the hill at three houses, and then we'll do yardwork at the Russo's." She glanced at Piper. "Have you ever mowed a lawn?"

"No," she replied shyly.

"It's pretty straightforward," Alex chuckled. "I'll teach you."

"I haven't done _any_ of this before." Piper wiped her hands on her jeans. "I've changed a lightbulb in a lamp and hung some posters on the wall with tacks—that's about the extent of it."

She smiled. "I'll walk you through everything. By the end of the week, you'll be a pro."

* * *

The first part of the day was brutal. Alex made her bring several wheel barrows full of wood down from the other side of the road to the deck at three homes, explaining that the wood was for their firepits not the indoor fireplaces. The brunette showed her how to properly stack and then cover the wood, and then Alex watered the potted plants in the yard. After that, she showed the blonde how to start and push a lawn mower, making perfectly straight lines. While Piper cut the grass, Alex used the weed eater around the harder to reach spots. She made the blonde pull weeds that couldn't be reached with either piece of equipment, and then rake up the mess they'd made, stuffing debris into a large burlap sack. Finally, while Alex went inside the Grant's home to do whatever, she instructed Piper to sweep the front porch and massive back deck.

By lunchtime, Piper had sweat so much she could almost wring out her tank top. It didn't help that she was wearing Alex's jeans, which trapped the heat against her legs. "When can we take a break?"

Alex smiled as she loaded a bucket of tools into the back of the truck. "You hungry?"

She removed her work gloves and put her hands on her hips. "Starving."

"Aren't you glad you ate that breakfast sandwich?" She closed the tailgate, and proceeded to the driver's side of the truck, allowing Piper to once again slide across the seat.

Alex's gaze wasn't lost on Piper—she noticed the brunette eyeing her up and down on several occasions that morning when she probably thought Piper wasn't paying attention. On one hand, the blonde thought Alex could've been glancing at her to make sure she was doing the job right; on the other, Alex could've been admiring her body. She hoped it was the latter, but Piper didn't think she looked very sexy in oversized pants and a stinky, wet tank top.

"Yes, but I'm still famished." She tied her long blonde hair into a ponytail, feeling sweat roll down the back of her neck.

"You don't realize how many calories you're burning by doing this kind of work." Alex started the engine. "Let's get some lunch." She drove the half-mile back to her cottage.

Piper got out of the vehicle and reached for the Igloo in the back of the truck, pulling out the third bottle of water she'd drink that morning. "Want some?"

"No, thanks," Alex replied, brushing off the grass on her arms before entering the cottage. "I have some fresh strawberry lemonade." She opened the refrigerator. "The sugar will be good for you, but only drink one glass."

The blonde followed her inside. "Mind if I wash my hands?"

"Sure. You know where the bathroom is." Alex scrubbed her own hands in the kitchen sink.

Piper closed the bathroom door and hesitated a moment before reaching into the shower to smell Alex's bath gel and shampoo. She was rewarded with the familiar scent of her companion. The bath gel was called _Bay Breeze_ , and it smelled exactly like the salty ocean with a hint of coconut. The blonde wondered if Alex's grassy scent was literally from all the yardwork she did. She noticed a bottle of Hawaiian Tropic SPF 80 on the bathroom counter and figured that was why the brunette wasn't tan or sunburned.

Piper walked out of the bathroom, glad that _at least her hands_ felt clean—the rest of her, not so much.

The dark haired woman pulled a loaf of bread off the top of the Frigidaire. "I hope a sandwich is ok."

Piper put her hand on her grumbling tummy. "Anything sounds good right now."

Much like the other night, they maneuvered easily in the tiny kitchen. Piper put a handful of pretzels on each plate, while Alex assembled the sandwiches with lettuce, tomato and mustard. The blonde sliced an apple, putting half on each dish, and then took them, along with a roll of paper towels outside to the picnic table.

"I feel gross," she commented around the first bite. "My shirt is sticking to me from all the sweat."

Alex lifted one eyebrow. "I can see that."

She looked down at her own breasts and noticed that her nipples were hard. "Oh…um…"

"When you sweat like that and sit in the cool breeze, it happens," Alex chuckled around an apple slice. "Want a fresh t-shirt?"

"What I _want_ is a shower," she complained, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"It would be pointless to take a shower now—we're just going to sweat more this afternoon." The brunette downed her glass of lemonade. "Trust me, when you take a shower at the end of a hard day's work, there's no better feeling in the world…Well, I can think of _one_ thing better than a shower." She smirked.

Piper blushed. "Yeah, I'm sure _that's_ a little better."

The dark haired woman ate the rest of her sandwich, and then stood. "I'll get you a fresh shirt, but I insist that it's equally as tight."

She blushed again and felt wetness pool between her legs. Was Alex _flirting_ with her? God, she hoped so.

They quickly rinsed the dishes, and then Piper followed her companion into the bedroom. "I guess I forgot to make the bed this morning."

The blonde shoved her hands into her back pockets. "Wanna take a nap?"

Alex laughed, and as the laughter died, a small smile lingered on her face. "Maybe later, after we shower."

 _Jesus Lord, if they showered together…_

"Here. This should work." Alex handed her a white t-shirt with a green outline of the state of Maine on it.

"It's another white t-shirt," the blonde said. "I think I'll have the same problem."

"And what problem is that?" Alex grinned, adjusting her glasses.

Piper took a step closer, willing to put herself out there in order for their flirtations to continue. "My nipples will show."

Alex pursed her lips and shrugged. "If that makes you uncomfortable..." she trailed off.

The blonde took off her sweaty tank top right there in front of her companion and watched Alex swallow hard as she stared at her skimpy, hot pink bikini top. She grabbed the t-shirt out of Alex's hand, and slowly put it on. The brunette looked away and shoved her glasses higher on her nose, and Piper knew in that moment, she had an effect on the older woman. A _definite_ physical effect.

"Ready?" Piper asked.

The dark haired woman returned her gaze to her companion and licked her lips. "Yeah," she responded hoarsely. "That shirt…it looks good on you."

Piper looked down at her outfit. "I'm wearing your shirt, your jeans, your socks and shoes. How can I make it up to you?"

Alex let out a long, audible sigh. "I'm just glad you're comfortable, kid…We need to get the fuck out of here." She padded out of the bedroom in a flurry, leaving Piper in the middle of the room with a stupid grin on her face.

* * *

Author's Note: I don't know if I'll be able to post another chapter until Monday. Thank you for reading and for the reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The afternoon wasn't as grueling as the morning—Alex showed her how to replace a fuse, fertilize a garden, repair a hole in a wall with plaster, and secure a sail that had blown sideways on a 31 foot Catalina Cruiser.

By 5 o'clock, Piper was undeniably beat.

"One more thing we have to do today—open up the Green's home." She pulled into the driveway of one of the houses towards the front of the street. "I'll show you what I usually do when families ask me to get their places ready. There's a little more to it if it's their first time down all season, like the Greens."

"I'm just glad you said 'only one more thing'." The blonde wiped her forehead with the hem of her shirt, yanking it high enough to expose her stomach. She caught Alex's gaze.

"Right. Yeah." The brunette cleared her throat and stepped out of the truck. "I'm going to open the windows upstairs, and you'll do the same downstairs."

She did as she was told, admiring the beautiful home's décor. She didn't know the Green family and hadn't really seen anyone outside of their home over the past few years.

Alex showed her how to turn on the hot water heater and then used a broom to clear cobwebs from the ceiling of several rooms. They walked around with paper towels to pick up any dead insects, which freaked Piper out, but by the fourth one, she'd gotten used to their little, decrepit bodies. Using the same broom, she asked Piper to sweep the sidewalk while she took care of the deck. They both placed floral-patterned cushions on the lawn furniture, and the brunette watered the hanging ferns. Before they left, Alex looked in the cabinets and refrigerator for any spoiled or stale food.

"I need to run to the store to get some staples for them," she said.

"Do you normally do that?" Piper followed her to the truck and grabbed a Vitamin Water from the cooler.

Alex reached for the bottle, so the blonde passed it to her as she watched Alex take a sip where her lips had just been. Piper swallowed hard.

"You spilled some…" She used two fingers to wipe the drop of liquid that was running down Alex's chin. Touching Alex sent shivers down her spine, and she wondered if the dark haired woman felt the same when she was touched.

"Thank you." Alex stared at the blonde for a moment longer than Piper expected, and then hopped back in the truck. "I buy groceries for the families who treat me well, and I don't ask them to repay me. Besides, the Greens have a sick daughter—leukemia, I think. The least I can do is get them something to eat when they arrive."

"That's very thoughtful of you." Piper touched her forearm around a tattoo, and Alex didn't pull away.

"Do you want to go to Shaw's with me? Your day is officially over, so don't feel like you have to."

She removed her hand. "Thank God!"

The brunette chuckled. "That was only day one, kid."

"I can't imagine anything being more challenging than what we did today," Piper sighed.

"Ha!" she laughed. "Get ready. Tomorrow, we have to repair a sinkhole in the O'Sullivan's driveway. There's a jackhammer in your future."

She ran her hand on the back of her sweaty, aching neck. "Can't wait."

Alex had already driven off Sand Point Road and was headed in the direction of Shaw's grocery store.

"I guess I'm going with you," the blonde commented.

"Should've spoken up sooner if you didn't want to go." She smirked.

"I wanted to go, so…" Piper gave her a small smile.

The women walked down four aisles of the grocery store together, Piper suggesting items that Alex vetoed, and the brunette reminding her of the practicality of shopping for staples.

"Let's buy them something they can eat tonight, like a frozen lasagna or something," the blonde suggested.

"Frozen lasagna? Gross." Alex let out a short huff. "Is that what you eat at home?"

"A lot of the time, yeah." She pulled the front of the cart towards the frozen food section, but Alex maneuvered it in the opposite direction.

"If we're going to buy them dinner, let's make it something fresh." The arrived at the deli. "What do you think—green bean or macaroni salad?"

Piper put a finger to her lips. "Macaroni, definitely. The baked salmon looks good."

A deli worker approached them. "Hey, Alex. How's it going?"

"Hey, Diego." She smiled. "I thought you were off on Mondays?"

"I _should_ be after what you put me through yesterday," he laughed, rotating his arm around twice. "That was some heavy lifting."

"Sorry." She rested her glasses on top of her head. "How's the baked salmon today?"

"Just came out of the oven 20 minutes ago."

"Perfect. We'll take three of those, and a container of macaroni salad."

"You got it," Diego replied.

Piper wondered what the man had helped Alex with the day before, but before she could enquire, Alex turned to her. "Wanna have dinner tonight?"

"Yes!" Piper's eyes widened. "I mean, sure. That would be nice."

"Maybe a little surf and turf?" Alex offered.

Piper hoped her eagerness wasn't as apparent as it felt when she'd jumped at the chance to spend more time with Alex.

"That sounds amazing." The blonde covered her rumbling stomach. "I've worked up an appetite."

"Thank you." Alex accepted the two containers from the deli worker. "Sure you don't want frozen lasagna instead?"

She jutted one leg out and put her hands on her hips. "You think you're funny, but you're really not."

"Come on, I'll show you how to pick out the best steaks." Alex strolled the cart down the aisle, and Piper stood next to her.

She stuffed her hands in her pockets. "How'd you learn all of this?"

The brunette regarded her companion. "All of what?"

"How to fend for yourself and do stuff that most women don't traditionally do?"

"I've never believed in gender specific roles." She shrugged. "Besides, I grew up with a single mom who raised me to be responsible for myself. I had to do shit, like make dinner for myself, all the time. My mom never bought processed food—we had fresh _everything_ , and I had to figure out how to make it all work in one cohesive dish."

Piper contrasted that to her own life, where she didn't have to lift a finger. They had maids and a lawn service to do the heavy lifting. The only chore the blonde had as a child was to vacuum her room and the upstairs hallway once a week.

She looked up at the dark haired woman. "It probably sucked when you were younger, but I'll bet you're happy about it now."

"Yeah, that's about the size of it." Alex smiled. "Ok, here are two packages of meat. Which one would you buy?"

"Mmm, that one." She pointed to the package in Alex's right hand.

"Why?"

"I don't know… the meat is redder—it looks healthier."

"Not bad, kid." She set the other package down. "The first thing you want to do is look at the expiration date. Dig deep down in the cooler to get the newest package you can find. Next, look for marbling. See those lines?"

Piper nodded.

"That's what gives the meat flavor. You don't want thick lines, like this one." The brunette pointed to the other container. "And you definitely don't want a fat cap like that."

The blonde was lost on what Alex was saying. She just watched the other woman with fascination as she explained how to identify the best cuts of meat. Piper had never met anyone like Alex—so self-sufficient, confident and unafraid. There seemed to be nothing the brunette didn't know, and Piper was captivated by her new friend's expansive knowledge.

"I never realized how expensive meat was," Piper commented.

"Don't worry about the price." The brunette grinned. "Let's get some fresh shrimp. I have some in my freezer, but we're going to grill these bad boys, so fresh is best."

They picked up a few last minute items, jumped into the truck, and Alex stopped at the Green's house to put the groceries away. Piper noticed several rose bushes outside, so she offered to pick flowers for the family. Alex handed her a vase from under the sink, and the blonde chose six pink and yellow roses that she displayed on the counter.

"Why don't you go home and shower, and head back to my place when you're done?" Alex suggested.

"I can't _wait_ to get under that hot water." The blonde exited the truck. "See you in a bit."

Alex waved. "Ok."

Piper removed her shoes and socks, and then headed directly upstairs to bathe. She stood under the hot water for five minutes without attempting to wash her body—it felt amazing just to let the water hit her skin. She couldn't believe how hard manual labor was, but she was determined not to give up. The only other job she'd had was lifeguarding one summer in Connecticut. She had to work almost every weekend, so she quit that gig after only two months on the stand.

Piper couldn't wait to uncover more intriguing things about Alex. She hoped that the brunette found her company appealing and figured that _must_ have been the case, since Alex was the one who invited her to dinner twice. The blonde put on a pair of baby blue J. Crew shorts and a yellow tank top with a white see-through sweater over it for warmth against what was sure to be another cool evening. She diffused her hair, making it more wavy than what Alex had seen thus far, but she refused to put on makeup. Besides, her tan complexion and rosy cheeks made her look young  & healthy. She dabbed on some clear lip gloss and headed out the door.

As she approached the dark haired woman's cottage she heard music coming from inside. Although Piper didn't know the singer, she recognized the song: _Darling you thrill me, honest you do. At first I thought it was infatuation, but oooh it's lasted so long…_

The blonde tapped on the propped open door. "Alex? Hello?"

There was no answer, so she stepped inside and heard the shower running. "I'm here," Piper yelled. "I didn't want to frighten you when you came out of the bathroom, so..."

"Thanks, kid," she replied over the water. "Make yourself comfortable. There's beer and wine in the fridge."

Piper was pleased that she had the chance to look around the room on her own, paying more attention to detail than she had previously. The first thing she noticed was a round tray of lit white candles sitting on the coffee table, which she realized was an old chest. She picked up the iPod and looked at the Sam Cooke album cover, and then the song changed to _Cupid_. She placed it back where she'd found it and looked for the wireless speaker, which, she noticed, was perched on the highest bookshelf. The blonde hadn't realized that there was a sizeable skylight on the West side of the A-framed ceiling, which provided a soft glow from the setting sun that evening.

She walked towards the bookshelf and saw a framed photograph of a much younger Alex and an older woman, who, Piper assumed, was her mom. She picked up the frame and stared at it for a moment when she heard the water shut off. The blonde quickly returned the photo to the shelf and glanced at a few book titles next to the frame. She touched the spine of each vastly different novel: _Team of Rivals, Orient, The Deadlands, Go Set a Watchman,_ and _The Celestine Prophecy_.

She ambled into the kitchen and saw a pot on the stove with small yellow and red potatoes inside. She also noticed the remnants of chopped herbs on a cutting board and decided to rinse the board and knife. Piper opened the refrigerator and saw a metal bowl filled with shrimp, marinating in herbs, and two New York strips next to it, covered with cracked pepper, garlic and cilantro. She pulled out a bottle of Rosé and attempted to open it when Alex surfaced with a towel wrapped around her body and wet, jet black hair dripping down her chest.

"Let me help with that." Alex took the bottle from the blonde who had to tell herself to close her mouth, which she was certain was hanging wide open like a guppy. "These corks can be stubborn." With one tug, the cork popped out with a satisfying pop. "Pour me a glass while I get dressed?"

The blonde nodded, vocal chords stubbornly uncooperative. She watched Alex's retreating form and had to steady herself against the counter. Piper noticed her alabaster skin and wondered how she could possibly look _so soft_ when Alex did that kind of manual labor in the blazing sun.

"I hope you like oldies," the brunette called as the song changed to _Nothing Can Change This Love_. "I grew up listening to the classic crooners; Sam Cooke was my mom's favorite."

Piper shut her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. She opened her eyes, giving herself a pep talk to _act normal_ , and filled two wine glasses with the pink liquid as she heard the other woman singing along to the music.

"My grandmother loved Sinatra," the blonde commented from the kitchen. "I remember listening to old albums with her on Sunday afternoons while she made strawberry shortcake."

"I like Ol' Blue Eyes," Alex replied as she entered the kitchen in a black t-shirt with musical instruments sketched on the front and the word _jazz_ written between the trumpet and the drums. Her legs must've still been damp, because the white linen shorts clung to one of her toned thighs. "How'd your shower feel?"

Piper handed her a wine glass and realized that her hands were shaking. "Fabulous."

"One day, we'll have to take an outdoor shower. Talk about refreshing." She clinked her glass against Piper's, and once again, the blonde couldn't speak.

The thought of _showering_ with Alex…outdoors? Her mouth became very dry and she had to do something to recover, so she walked past her hostess and back into the living room. Piper sat on the leather sofa and gave herself another mental talk about pulling her shit together.

"Everything alright?" The brunette asked after a sip of wine.

"Yeah. Of course, why wouldn't it be?" She rambled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Is that your guitar?"

"Yeah." Alex sat next to her. "I'm teaching myself how to play. Well, technically I _tried_ to teach myself." She paused for a sip. "I started in December and was pretty consistent for a few months, and then work started getting insane, so I stopped in May."

"Will you play a song for me?"

"Maybe later." She smiled. "I like your hair like that."

She instinctively reached up to touch her head. "Oh, thanks. It's naturally wavy, so if I blow dry it a certain way…"

Alex touched a long, blonde ringlet. "It's nice."

 _Bring it on Home to Me_ blared through the speaker, and Piper watched her companion take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and for a split second, she wondered if Alex had it as bad for her as she did for Alex.

Out of nowhere, the brunette stood and stuck out her hand. "Dance with me."

Piper swallowed hard and somehow found a way to stand on shaky legs. She'd never danced with a woman. Alex pulled her close, and Piper's senses were on overload—Alex's now familiar scent and warm body holding Piper closely was enough to send the blonde right over the edge. It was like she was dreaming or imagining all of this. The women swayed to the music, and Piper rested her head on her companion's shoulder. Alex hummed the song, adding words in whispers every now and then. The blonde lowered her hands to the spot where Alex's back met her butt and found a nice dip in which to lay her hand. Piper caught a glimpse of the two of them dancing together in a full length mirror, and she thought they looked _perfect_ together. She closed her eyes for the rest of the song, hoping that she would remember this very moment exactly as it was playing out.

"Thank you." As the song ended, the dark haired woman pulled back and smiled. "I used to dance with my mom to that song."

Her mom?

Her _mom_?

Was their dance just an excuse for Alex to feel connected to her mother?

"Oh." Piper took a step back and lifted her wine glass. "Well, it's a beautiful song."

The brunette scratched her head and averted her eyes, a move that Piper couldn't translate. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, actually. I've been famished all day." Piper moved into the kitchen, saddened by the turn of events. Perhaps she'd been reading the signals wrong.

Alex followed and pulled a sleeve of crackers out of the cabinet. "Will you make a cheese plate? I have to set up the grill."

"Sure." She'd never made a cheese plate in her life, but it couldn't be that difficult.

Alex disappeared outside, humming the next song that blasted through the speaker.

As the blonde set out two types of cheese and a handful of purple grapes on a platter, she thought about every flirtatious moment with Alex so far. Did the dark haired woman see her more as a _sister_? But then there was Alex's recent comment about showering together and the one earlier about her nipples poking out in the white t-shirt. Surely those weren't comments one would make to a sibling. As she rolled the sleeve of wheat crackers onto the plate, it dawned on her that maybe the reason why Alex occasionally flirted with her was to get her to help with the upkeep of properties along Sand Point Road. Was Piper nothing more than a convenient assistant? She brought the platter outside and set it on the table.

"Nice job." Alex smiled as she lit the charcoal and stepped back. "Maybe cut some hydrangeas for the table?"

The blonde stepped back inside, still miffed at the possibility that Alex had no intention of being romantically involved with her.

"Vases are under the sink," Alex called. "There are some garden scissors next to them in a green basket."

She found a short glass vase, filled it with water and went outside to cut flowers. Piper had a decision to make—she could either confront the dark haired woman about her intentions or snap out of the funk she was in. As she clipped a gorgeous purple flower, she decided to just enjoy the evening for what it was. Piper had always been quick to form an opinion, but Alex had kept her guessing. She was confident that she'd have the other woman figured out by the end of the night.

She presented the flowers to her companion. "How does this look?"

"Perfect." Alex took the vase and set it on the table. "I'll grab the steaks and shrimp. Sit down; enjoy the view."

"Will you get my glass?" Piper called. "I left it on the counter."

The brunette appeared a moment later, offering Piper a refilled glass of Rosé. She put her fingertips on the blonde's shoulder as she handed her the glass, and they lingered a couple of seconds longer than any touch should last between friends.

Piper tried not to read anything into it. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Alex walked back inside, and when she appeared again, she had the shrimp and steak in each hand. Piper watched her set the dishes down, and then carry the cheese platter to the Adirondack chairs.

"It feels good to sit."

Piper cut a piece of Brie and placed it on a cracker. "Here."

"Thank you." Alex popped it into her mouth. "Mmm. I think I could eat the whole tray."

She smiled and shoved a piece of cheese into her own mouth.

"So, Piper." Alex sipped her wine. "You already know about me. Tell me more about you."

"What do you want to know?"

The brunette put a chunk of Manchego on a cracker. "You mentioned you're a theater minor. What plays have you been in?"

"Let's see… _Romeo & Juliet, Death of a Salesman, A Raisin in the Sun_…those were the most recent." She popped another cracker into her mouth.

"What was your favorite?"

She tapped a finger against her chin. "I like anything by Tennessee Williams. I guess my favorite is _A Streetcar Named Desire_. I never actually acted in it, but I've seen it performed at least five times."

"Mmm," Alex seemed lost in reflection. "I saw it on Broadway with my mom when I was 12 or 13. That was a big deal."

Piper glanced at her companion. "Did you go to New York often with her?"

"Not really, only like four or five times. We'd get a hotel room, eat hot dogs from street vendors and ice cream sandwiches from Duane Reade's…" She smiled. "I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world."

"Your mom sounds like a special person."

"She really was." Alex looked up at the stars as they began to reveal themselves in the darkening sky. "I wish you could've met her."

Again, Piper was confused about the brunette's intentions, but she took her statement as a compliment. "If she was anything like you, I'm sure I'd like her a lot."

With the back of her head still resting against the Adirondack chair, Alex twisted her neck until she was facing Piper. She lifted a hand and squeezed her companion's arm. "Thanks," she whispered.

Piper smiled back tenderly. The women sat in silence as Sam Cooke sang, _Just For You_ , and the combination of music, cicadas, and waves crashing against the shore sent Piper's heart soaring again as she imagined _this_ being her life. She could only be so lucky.

"I'm sure the coals are hot by now." Alex stood and shoved a cracker topped with cheese into her mouth. "More wine?"

The blonde looked at her glass. "You trying to get me drunk?"

She chuckled. "I don't think it would take much."

Piper followed her companion, handing her a pair of tongs as Alex lifted the plate of steaks towards the grill.

"You'd be surprised how much I can drink," the blonde offered. "But I'd prefer not to be hungover for another full work day tomorrow."

While Alex grilled, they continued talking about theater, and Piper recited a monologue from _Cat on Hot Tin Roof_. The brunette got a kick out of it, and they laughed together at how dramatic Piper could be. Alex encouraged her to choose a new playlist on her iPod, so the blonde played one called, _Dinner Party_ , which featured an eclectic blend of music from Miles Davis to George Michael. They discussed their musical tastes, Piper admitting that she'd been into 80s music for the past few months, and Alex stating that her musical tastes varied as the wind blew—one day she'd rock out to Def Leppard, the next she'd listen to Chopin or Bach.

They ate dinner al fresco with another bottle of wine, this time a red blend, and the conversation moved into a more personal realm.

Alex wiped her mouth with a napkin. "So, how many hearts have you broken, kid?"

The blonde took a sip of wine. "Not many."

Alex lifted her eyebrows as if to challenge her statement.

"Let's see…There was Thaddeus in sixth grade, my first _real_ boyfriend, and then Jonathan in ninth grade and Larry my junior and senior years of high school." She pushed her plate away.

"Larry, huh?" She tipped her glass back.

The blonde nodded. "He was my most serious boyfriend. I dated a couple of guys in college, but it never lasted more than a month or two."

Alex nodded slowly as if she was trying to picture _Piper the girlfriend_.

"What about you?" She swirled the red liquid in her glass.

"I was never into boys," Alex exhaled. "Does that come as a surprise to you?"

"No, not really." The blonde felt a blush crawling up her neck to her cheeks. "I mean, you're not all butchy or anything…not that there's anything wrong with manly looking women, or…I don't really know how they like to be called."

The brunette grinned. " _Butch_ is the proper term."

"Right. Ok, yeah." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I saw you over Memorial Day weekend with some other women in town, and I wondered then, I guess…" When Alex didn't confirm or deny that she was with other lesbians, the blonde continued. "And then I was riding my bike down the street, and I saw all of you sitting out here by the firepit."

She raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know you saw us."

"I wasn't spying or anything," she tried. "It just looked like you were having fun."

Alex issued a tight-lipped, discreet smile. "We were."

She didn't expand upon her answer, so Piper decided to leave it alone. "I'm sure you've broken _your_ share of hearts over the years."

"I'm sure I have," she chuckled and poured more wine into her glass. "I don't like to talk about my love life."

The blonde covered her glass, indicating that she didn't want more wine. "Why not?"

"It's complicated." Alex ran her hands up and down her thighs. "Besides, I'd rather listen to you tell me horror stories about dates gone wrong."

Piper shared a few tales, but in the back of her mind, she wondered what Alex was hiding. Was she in a relationship? Or had she recently gotten over a bad one?

They cleaned the dishes together, and Piper offered to take the tablecloth home to wash it. (She'd spilled a little red wine.) Alex insisted it was no big deal and used some Spray-N-Wash to rid the fabric of the stain.

"Want dessert?" The dark haired woman asked.

"No, thank you. I'm stuffed and exhausted. I should probably head home."

"Suit yourself." Alex pulled out a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream.

The blonde shoved her hands in her pockets. "Thank you for another lovely evening."

"Thanks for the company."

"Guess I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, this time, wearing the right outfit," she replied with a grin.

"Good." Alex smiled.

As Piper walked outside, the brunette followed. "Want me to walk you up the hill?"

"Nah, I'll be fine." She walked backwards a few steps. "Good night, Alex."

"Good night," she replied.

When the blonde was almost to the road, Alex called out. "Hey, Piper?"

She turned around and eyed Alex, who was still in front of her cottage. "Yeah?"

"That comment I made about my mom while we were dancing…" She ran a hand through her thick, black locks. "I wasn't trying to relive a memory or anything."

Piper gave her a warm smile. "Even if you were, that would be ok."

"I really liked dancing with you." It was the shyest tone Alex had used in the blonde's presence.

Her smile lit up the night sky. "I liked it to."

"Ok, well, walk safe. Good night."

She held up one hand. "Night."


	6. Chapter 6

The next three days went very much like the first—they worked on several projects each day, and Piper was exhausted by noon. They ate lunch together at Alex's cottage every day, and Piper joined her for dinner as well. The dinners the following nights weren't as long as their first two evenings together, but the blonde realized that sleep was paramount to her success as a manual laborer and vowed to hit the sack as early as 9 o'clock each night.

On Thursday evening, Piper took a shower, and then walked to her companion's house with a salad she'd made from a Dole kit. It wasn't much, she knew that, but Piper felt like she needed to contribute _something_ to their fifth dinner together. She even "borrowed" a bottle of wine from her father's collection. (She'd gone on the Internet to see how much several of his bottles cost, and decided to bring the Duckhorn Merlot.)

As Piper approached the cottage, she heard what sounded like a running water coming from the side of the house that flanked a small forest. She figured that Alex was watering her herb garden, so she walked around the cottage and was astonished at the sight before her: Alex was standing under an outdoor shower spigot, naked as a jaybird.

Her head was flung back, eyes closed, and Piper couldn't stop staring. The blonde's eyes journeyed from Alex's face to her arms and legs. She couldn't see the brunette's most intimate spot due to her positioning, but she saw her full breasts. Piper involuntarily licked her lips as she watched Alex's well-defined arms reach towards her head as she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair. Ten seconds later, the brunette opened her eyes and saw her standing there.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry!" Piper jumped back and immediately covered her eyes. "I thought you were watering your garden, and…" She peeked through a crack in her fingers.

"It's ok." Alex turned to face her, not bothering to cover herself. "We have the same lady parts."

"Yes, but still…" She spun around, back now facing her companion. "I invaded your privacy."

"Relax, kid." Alex chuckled. "It's no big deal. I'm glad it was you and not Mr. Bankston."

Piper ran her hands through her own wet hair and took several deep, steadying breaths.

"Will you hand me that towel?"

The blonde saw an ivory towel hanging on a tree branch and grabbed it. Before turning around, she gulped, trying to prepare herself for what she'd see. "This one?" she asked awkwardly.

"It's the only towel out here, so yeah." The brunette wrung her hair out, and Piper now had a full-frontal view of Alex's body.

She was gorgeous—milky white skin, toned muscles, jet black hair, and voluptuous breasts.

"Piper?" She took a step forward. "Towel."

"Oh, right." The blonde handed her the towel and spun around again, trying to erase the image of Naked Alex from her mind, but knowing it would be a futile attempt. "I brought stuff," she said out of the blue.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to." Piper looked around for the salad she'd carried over, forgetting that she'd set it on bench in front of the cottage. "I'll grab it." She turned around again, relieved that Alex now had a towel wrapped around her body.

The dark haired woman began walking towards the back door. "You have no idea how refreshing that was. You ought to try it some time."

Piper followed her into the cottage with the salad in hand. "Yeah, um…I will…try it some time."

She gestured with her elbow towards the Frigidaire. "Just put the salad in there, and open the wine if you don't mind. I'm going to put some clothes on."

"I'll try," she replied, looking anywhere but at her hostess. "Last time, as you might recall, I broke the cork in the bottle." Piper opened the refrigerator and moved a carton of milk aside to fit the salad bowl. Her breathing returned somewhat back to normal as Alex disappeared into her bedroom.

"Yeah, I remember." The dark haired woman called. (The night before, Alex had to stick a screwdriver into the cork to yank it out. The good news was that they were both tipsy and laughed throughout the process.)

When she was certain that Alex was in the other room, Piper rested her hands on the counter and hung her head, eyes squeezed shut as the image of her companion's bare breasts entered her head. She told herself to _calm the fuck down_ and act as if nothing happened.

Alex returned to the kitchen two minutes after the blonde had recovered, wearing a dark gray t-shirt and white shorts. The brunette immediately grabbed a bowl on the counter, shoving her hands inside and turning the ingredients over.

Piper stepped directly behind her and looked over her shoulder. "What are you making?"

"Herb marinated chicken." She turned her head slightly to the left, and their faces were inches apart.

"Smells good." Piper took in a big whiff of _Alex_ , not the marinade. She was sure that the sauce smelled delightful, too, but nothing was as refreshing as the scent of the woman in front of her.

"I hope it tastes good. I'm not using a recipe," she said. "Will you push my glasses higher? My hands are covered in olive oil and cilantro."

Piper did as she was told, and once the frames were in place, she ran a hand down the back of Alex's head to her shoulder. They both grinned widely as if realizing, on some level, something significant was shifting between them.

"I'll get the wine," Piper said, breaking the stare. Her hands were shaking and her breath hitched in her throat.

"Don't fuck it up, kid. That looks like an expensive bottle."

She inserted the corkscrew and began twisting. "I researched it on the Internet: $27. That's not bad, right?"

"It's kind of pricey, but I'm sure it'll be worth it." The brunette flicked on the water with her elbow and proceeded to wash her hands. "Let me guess, you stole it from your parents' cellar and need me to buy a bottle to replace it?"

Piper stopped twisting the corkscrew. "I'll give you money."

"Don't worry about it," she chuckled. "I'll buy some before your parents come up again."

"Thank you." She pulled hard, and the cork came out in one piece. "Ha! I did it!"

"Nice work, kid." Alex slid past her, putting a hand on the blonde's hip as she reached for a dish towel.

Piper stood on her tip toes to reach the wine glasses, pretending not to be affected by the brunette's touch. A familiar song came on, and the blonde turned to her friend. "How do you know Bootstraps?"

"I saw them a couple of months ago in Portland at The Trap Door." She raised the bottle and began pouring. "Have you heard of them?"

"They played at Smith in January. I _love_ them," Piper remarked.

"Their remix album is amazing," she replied.

Alex coached her companion through how to make rice in a pot rather than in a rice cooker, and the blonde carefully followed directions. Just as the water began to boil, the brunette's phone buzzed.

"Are you expecting a call?" Piper asked.

"It's a text." She picked up her phone from the small table. "Fuck."

"What's wrong?" Piper placed the lid on the pot.

"Sorry, kid." She scratched her forehead. "You need to leave soon."

The blonde spun around. "Why?"

"It's…" She shook her head as she typed a response on her phone. "It's _terrible_ timing. Nothing I can do about it."

Her arms dropped to her sides. "Is someone coming to your house?"

Alex tossed the phone onto the table, and then shoved her glasses higher. "This doesn't concern you."

"It's cutting into our dinner, so I think it does," Piper stated with an edgy tone.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Piper, and sometimes shit happens that's out of my control," the brunette said in a raised voice.

Piper looked at her feet and felt the sting of tears in her eyes. It was _ludicrous_ for her to react this way, and she damned her emotions for making her look foolish.

"I need to take care of something." Alex took a few steps towards her companion, softening her voice. "I'm sorry. I really am."

Piper looked up with sad eyes. Alex ran a hand through her hair and let out a long, frustrated sigh.

"Don't worry about it." Piper tried to step past the brunette, but Alex took a step to her right, effectively blocking Piper from exiting.

"Don't be like that," she whispered.

"Can I just get some fresh air?"

Alex stepped aside and looked away. "Yeah, sure."

The blonde walked outside, hands rubbing her face, then following through her hair. Whoever texted Alex had some sort of power over her, and Piper hated it. She didn't think it was possible for someone to intimidate Alex, but clearly, whoever was on the other end of the line, did. Piper never expected that week to proceed the way it had—working with Alex all day, having a quick lunch together, and then hanging out and cooking at night. It was all too good to be true, and the blonde cursed herself for believing that _it could be that easy_.

She hadn't realized that she'd been outside for 10 minutes until Alex's voice startled her musings. "I can put dinner in some Tupperware for you to take home."

"That's ok; I'll manage." Piper tried to focus on anything other than the woman in front of her.

The brunette sighed, and Piper detected a hint of irritation. "It's supposed to rain tomorrow. We'll work inside if it's a downpour."

"Ok," Piper answered curtly.

Alex lifted the mostly full bottle of Duckhorn and tilted it to see the contents in the light. "I'm sorry we couldn't enjoy the wine. I'll save it for another time."

"I'll just grab my sweater." Piper walked into the living room and picked up her Land's End sweater, putting an arm through each sleeve. "I hope that whatever's going on isn't bad."

The brunette looked away. "Me, too, kid."

She began walking away. "See you in the morning."

"Don't come to the cottage tomorrow." Alex spat out. Again, she couldn't seem to look the blonde in the eyes. "Meet me by the shed."

"Got it. Good night." She walked away without looking back and had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

That night, Piper took a long, hot bath and tried to let her thoughts and feelings melt away into the water. If nothing else, the bath was relaxing, but it did little to keep her mind off of Alex. She tried concentrating on her impending internship that would begin on Monday, and that seemed to do the trick long enough for her to climb into bed and fall asleep at 9:15.


	7. Chapter 7

Much thanks to my beta, Nicki for her assistance with this story.

* * *

The next morning, Piper walked to the shed, where Alex had told her they'd meet. The first thing she noticed was a blue Ford Escort with New Hampshire plates in the brunette's driveway. There was a rainbow sticker on the back, and the blonde's heart sank. It felt like she'd just been slapped in the face. Clearly, someone had spent the night at Alex's cottage, and Piper would put money on it being her lover.

She paced in the street, hands on her hips, and considered going back home. She could lie and tell Alex she was sick—vomiting and diarrhea—anyone would believe _that_ without asking questions. Before she could make up her mind about how to proceed, Alex appeared with a woman right behind her. There was no place for Piper to hide. She stood in the middle of the street, arms dangling at her sides, wondering if she might faint. She couldn't move—it was as if her feet were rooted to that spot. She watched Alex hug the petite woman before she got into the car. Alex turned her head and noticed Piper, expression impossible to read. Finally, the blonde walked up the hill to the shed and began loading the regular items into the old Chevy.

The woman pulled away in her Escort, but Piper didn't turn around. She hoisted the wheel barrow into the flatbed by herself and forgot how heavy the fucker was. She struggled to get the rubber wheel over the tailgate when Alex appeared beside her. "You're going to hurt yourself." The dark haired woman lifted the front end of the wheel barrow into the truck.

"Hello," Piper tested out her voice to ensure it didn't shake with the hurt and anger and _rage_ she felt.

"We don't need the wheel barrow today," the brunette announced, standing to the side.

"It's already in the truck, so let's move on." She grabbed a bucket of tools and threw them into the flatbed with a bang. "I don't know where your toolbelt is."

"It's under the seat."

She glanced at Alex, who had her hands on her hips and a grave expression on her face.

"Let's go." For the first time, Piper opened the passenger's door instead of sliding along the bench seat from Alex's side of the truck.

The brunette stood there for another minute, and then finally closed the tailgate and got into the Chevy.

"What do we have to do today?" Piper kept her attention straight ahead and tried to act normal, but she knew the other woman could see right through her.

"It's supposed to rain, so we'll cut the Blanchard's grass and do some edging, and then we'll see if we have time to mend the fence at the front of the road." Alex didn't look at her companion. Like Piper, her attention was focused anywhere but on the other person in the vehicle.

They arrived at the Blanchard house, which was one with a gate that required a code, so Alex punched in four numbers before the iron gate swung open. She put the truck in park, and they both hopped out. They silently unloaded the lawn mower and the Black & Decker edger.

"Have you worked with one of these things?" the brunette asked.

"No." Piper gave her a pointed look. "Is that surprising to you?"

Alex kept her head down, but her eyes met Piper's. If the blonde had to guess what message her companion was sending it was most certainly, _Don't fuck with me, kid_.

"Fine. Mow the lawn." She started the mower for Piper, and then walked back over to the truck.

Piper was thankful for the loud hum of the lawn mower and wished she'd brought headphones so she could listen to Metallica or some other garish hard rock. She hoped it wouldn't rain that day so that they could be as far away from each other as possible and not stuck in close quarters inside one of the homes. Evidently, Alex wasn't willing to discuss whatever happened with the rainbow flag woman, and Piper felt that she had no right to enquire. She pushed the mower back and forth until the last strip of grass was cut, and as if on cue, the moment she finished, the skies opened up.

Piper turned off the mower and searched for Alex, who had just powered down the lawn edger. They both ran to the truck and scampered inside, already drenched with rain.

"Holy shit!" Piper was out of breath.

"That came out of nowhere." Alex brushed her wet hair out of her face.

"I have grass all over me." The blonde glanced at her arms, and tiny blades of green grass looked like they were glued to her arms. "Sorry." Normally, they took great care to brush off debris before getting into the truck. "What do we do? Just wait it out?"

"Well, we can't go inside anyone's home like this." Alex looked down and was equally covered with flecks of grass.

The rain pelted the windshield and thunder crashed around them. The heat from their bodies began steaming up the windows. All Piper could hear was the dense rain and the sound of Alex's breath.

They sat silently for a couple of minutes before the brunette cleared her throat. "That was Sylvie."

Piper turned her head and stared at the other woman, quickly catching on to her companion's train of thought.

Alex kept her head down, eyes focused on the floor. "We've had a fucked up relationship for years."

The blonde listened silently, biting down on her back teeth so hard that it created a cramp in her mouth.

"We're not together…well, not _technically,_ I guess." She put her hands on the steering wheel and Piper watched her triceps flex. "We made a pact a while ago that as long as we were both single, we'd be there for each other, no questions asked."

The blonde shook her head and looked away, hating every word that Alex was saying. She tasted bitterness in her mouth and had to swallow several times to make it disappear.

"Sylvie was the one who texted me last night," she announced through a long sigh. "I'd missed a call and a couple of texts from her earlier, and by the time I saw the third message, she was almost in Kennebunkport." The dark haired woman rubbed her hand against the driver's side window to clear the condensation, and then spent a long moment, staring outside.

"So, what?" Piper began, eyebrows furrowing. "She was lonely and needed a good _fuck_?"

Alex appeared taken aback. "She got laid off from her job yesterday."

"So you fucked her all night until she felt better?" The blonde's voice cracked. She couldn't believe the words coming out of her own mouth, but she couldn't stop them from tumbling out.

"That's really none of your business." Alex folded her arms and let out an incredulous laugh. "Maybe you and I have been spending too much time together."

Piper whipped her head around, remaining silent but shooting her companion daggers.

"Yeah, you know…we work together all day, and then hang out until we're so fucking tired we can't keep our eyes open." Alex shook her head. "I don't need you to judge me on _any_ level, and you sure as hell don't get to comment on how I choose to spend my personal time, or with whom I spend it."

"You think I've been _judging_ you?" Piper turned her body fully towards the dark haired woman. "Alex, I admire _every fucking_ _thing_ that you do—the way you sand a deck, the way you make a steak taste like a hundred dollar piece Wagyu beef, the way you decorate your home, your _perfect_ playlists for every mood—everything you do is beyond reproach, so if you think I'm _judging_ you, I've clearly been sending the wrong message!"

She could hear Alex's breathing speed up. The brunette pushed her glasses to the top of her head and stared at Piper with pursed lips.

"The reason I stay at your house until I'm halfway asleep is that _I can't fucking get enough of you_!" Piper continued. That was it. She'd confessed the ultimate truth, and she'd suffer the consequences come hell or high water.

The brunette reached for her, tugging the straps of her tank top until their faces smashed together. It took Piper a few seconds to realize that _Alex was kissing her_. There was nothing tender or gentle about the kiss—their mouths were fused together until their lips resembled pancakes. There was no tongue and no finesse, just two bodies that had _begged_ to be connected since the moment they'd met.

Alex pulled back and sighed. "We can't do this."

"What?" The blonde panted. " _Why not?_ "

"Your father is my _boss_!" she shouted. "I could lose my job if anyone found out."

Piper shook her head. "Why would you lose your job?"

"This isn't exactly liberal alley," she began, slamming her hand against the steering wheel. "The conservatives on this road have political clout, and while I don't pretend to be someone I'm not, I also don't strut around wearing my rainbow t-shirt. More importantly, if anyone finds out I'm sleeping with one of the resident's daughters, they'll fire my ass so quickly you won't even remember I was here."

"These people adore you, Alex! They wouldn't do that." (Piper wanted to comment on the _sleeping_ _together_ part, but that would be for another time and place.)

She let out a short laugh. "You are so naïve, kid."

"I'm not, actually." Piper raised her chin. "You do a phenomenal job as the caretaker around here, and I can promise you that the families on Sand Point Road would stick up for you no matter what. Plus, your mom left a legacy, and that carries more weight than you think. People respect you, Alex. That wouldn't change because they found out that you're gay."

"And what about you?" Alex asked, steering the conversation away from herself. "What if dear old dad finds out that his daughter is a lesbian?"

"I'm not gay."

Alex let out a short, dubious laugh. "Bi-sexual, fluid, whatever. You're sexually attracted to another woman—call it whatever you want. I don't think Bill Chapman would approve."

She was right—her father was a staunch Republican with conservative values. He'd flip if he found out that she and Alex were a couple.

"I haven't thought that far ahead," Piper admitted. "All I know is that I _love_ spending time with you, and I don't want that to change."

"I like hanging out with you, too, kid, but we can't do this," she said in a low, distressed voice. "And the more time we spend together, the harder it will be to go our separate ways."

Piper hung her head and felt Alex's fingertips on her cheek. "Look at me."

The blonde focused on the other woman.

"Your internship starts on Monday. We won't see each other as much, and it'll be for the best."

"How can you say that?" she asked. "Maybe I'm alone in this, but now that I've started to get to know you, I don't want to stop seeing you."

"I'm not saying we can't be friends, Piper," she tried. "But we need some time and distance between us."

Piper looked her in the eye. "I don't want that."

"It's the way it has to be." She punctuated the statement with her eyebrows. "At least for the time being."

The rain stopped, and Piper took a deep breath. Her heart was in her stomach, and she felt completely deflated. "I don't want to work with you today."

"Fine." Alex averted her eyes. "There's not a ton to do anyway. I can manage on my own."

"Good." She scooted towards the passenger door. "I guess I'll see you when I see you." Piper knew that she was being petulant, but things were not going the way she'd desperately wanted them to, and she couldn't find it within herself to handle the situation more sensibly.

The brunette gave her a lopsided, almost fake smile. "Take care of yourself, kid."

The blonde stepped out of the truck and all but ran home, tears streaming down her face with every step.

 _Alex liked her_.

She should have never questioned that, but the brunette didn't like her enough to face whatever came their way. Alex was protecting herself, and if Piper was being honest, she was probably protecting her as well.

Piper stepped inside her family's home and jogged upstairs, taking two stairs at a time, until she reached the bathroom. Her body was wet and cold and sore. She _ached_ for Alex and had to try to put aside what it felt like to kiss her. As she washed the grass and sweat off her body, Piper cried. She let her tears swirl down the drain with the water, and when she finished bathing, she stepped out of the warm water and wrapped herself in a thick, white robe.

She plugged her iPod into the speaker in her bedroom and played Bootstraps' version of _I Wanna Dance With Somebody_ over and over again until she fell asleep.

When Piper finally stirred, it felt like she'd just woken up from surgery—she was groggy and exhausted. It was raining heavily outside, so she pulled the covers higher and closed her eyes again. She vowed to spend the rest of the day in bed, feeling sorry for herself. Part of her wanted to call Polly and ask her to drive to Kennebunkport, but her friend had no clue what had transpired over the past week. She couldn't very well drop that like Napalm onto Polly's lap and expect her to understand.

* * *

True to her word, Piper didn't get out of bed until Saturday morning, and it was her brother who finally woke her.

"What's going on?" She sat up in bed. "Cal? What are you doing here?"

"We got here last night. You were out like a light," he explained. "Dad figured you were exhausted from all that manual labor. How was it?"

She laid back down. "Go away."

"Whatever, sis." He jumped off the bed. "We have donuts from Mr. O's."

Even her favorite maple bar couldn't sway the blonde to leave the comfort of her bed. Her heart still sat at the bottom of her stomach, and she had no idea how she'd ever heal. There was no way she could let her parents see her true feelings, so it was best if they thought she was just tired from all of the work.

Eventually, she went downstairs to find her parents sitting in the living room watching golf on television.

"Hey." She scratched her head and shuffled into the kitchen. "Is there anything to eat?"

"Well, look who's back from the dead," her father commented. "How bad was it?"

"Awful." She opened the refrigerator, the contents of which didn't hold a candle to Alex's. She pulled out some deli meat and ate two slices of honey baked ham straight out of the container.

Her mom shook her head. "Where are your manners, Piper? Get a plate."

"Is there a reason why a bottle of Duckhorn Merlot was sitting on the doorstep?" her dad asked.

Piper's eyes grew wide. "Oh, uh…the neighbors asked if they could borrow a bottle of wine, and they promised to replace it later this week." She shrugged. "I guess they left it for you while I was asleep."

"That was nice of you, and of _them_."

"Yeah." She padded into the living room, towards the staircase. "I'm going to take a shower."

As she showered, she didn't know whether she was pissed at Alex for having replaced her father's wine so soon or glad that she'd done so. Piper tried to think about fun things she could do that day and banish thoughts of Alex.

* * *

The next day, Piper kept to herself for the most part and didn't venture outside unless it was to sit on the back deck and read. Her internship would begin the next morning, and she desperately needed something to keep her mind occupied on something other than Alex Vause. Her work hours were from 8:30 am to 4 pm, four days a week, and only 8:30 - Noon on Fridays, and she hoped she'd be able to find something to keep her busy at night.

The first week of her internship went exceedingly well. She started with filing and covering for the receptionist when she was at lunch or on break, but by Wednesday, the vice president asked Piper to work on "a deck" for one of their clients, L.L. Bean. She worked closely with him and learned how to assemble a presentation for a major company.

At night, Piper spent time in town, shopping or just hanging out in the local bookstore—anything to not run into Alex. She continued the pattern she'd started the week prior by going to sleep around 9 or 9:30, so there wasn't too much time to kill after work.

The muscle soreness she'd experienced after working with Alex had subsided and all that remained was some discomfort in her lower back. Piper had never lifted or bent that much in her life, so she expected to feel the repercussions of her activity days later. If she took Ibuprofen four times a day, she was able to keep the physical pain to a minimum, but there was no pill she could take to cure heartache.

Piper had never felt this way about anyone. Sure, she'd had her share of boyfriends, and some of them were great company at times, but she didn't count down the days, hours or even minutes until she could see them again. That last week, the blonde _did_ count the minutes until she would see Alex. There was so much still to learn about her—what was it like growing up in Kennebunkport? Did she know who her father was, and if so, was he ever present in her life? Who were her friends? Where did they live? Did she plan to be a caretaker forever? What was her favorite book, color, song, artist…? When the blonde considered those unanswered questions, she sulked, knowing that Alex's answers would have been intriguing to hear.

* * *

Her parents and Cal arrived in Kennebunkport early on Friday and were already at the Sand Point Road home when she returned from Weber Shandwick that afternoon.

"Well, how's the internship going?" Her father asked. He was walking down the street, back to their house when she spotted him. Bill Chapman didn't go for walks, so Piper was curious where he was coming from.

"It's good," the blonde replied. "Finished my first week."

They made small talk about Piper's duties as they entered the house.

"Calvin's a good guy. You'll learn a lot from him," he said, speaking of Piper's direct supervisor. "Matter of fact, we're playing golf tomorrow. I'll put in another good word for you."

"Where were you off to?" Carol asked her husband as she stirred a gin cocktail.

Bill removed his Top-siders. "I invited Alex over for dinner tonight."

Piper dropped her purse and her mouth hung open. Surely he was referring to a _different_ Alex.

"Why?" her mother asked, pouring the cocktail into a martini glass.

"She took Piper under her wing last week. It's the least we can do to thank her." Bill pulled out the sliced turkey and a loaf of bread. "I hope that's ok with you, sweetheart."

"Um, yeah. Sure. Of course," Piper stuttered. The blonde opened the refrigerator under the guise of gathering condiments to make a sandwich, but with her back to her parents, she closed her eyes and let the cold air slap her in the face.

"Rumor has it that she's a lesbian," Carol whispered conspiratorially.

"So?" Piper turned around with the mustard and mayonnaise in hand. "What does that have to do with her job?"

"She could be a bad influence on the kids around here," she offered.

"First of all, the only real 'kid' around here is Emma Green, and she has leukemia." The blonde looked her mother in the eye. "Second, it's not like Alex _chooses_ to be gay. People are born that way."

Her mother let out a dubious chuckle.

"Does Alex do a good job around here?" Piper demanded, hands on her hips.

"Yes," her father replied. "I don't care if she's gay or straight, as long as she continues to keep up the properties satisfactorily."

She turned to her mom, daring her to make another asinine comment.

Carol sipped her drink. "I've never met the woman."

"Then maybe you shouldn't spread rumors or pass judgement." Piper was furious. Her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't even put the condiments onto the sandwich that her father had assembled for her—she stared at her mother and felt her chest rise and fall.

Carol rolled her eyes. "It's that liberal, Harvey Bankston. He'll let anyone on his property."

"Mom, there's something I need you to know." Piper blinked twice and stood taller. "I'm bisexual." She couldn't believe she'd just uttered those words with conviction. The blonde hadn't even convinced _herself_ that she was bisexual, yet she wanted…no _needed_ …her mom to understand that Alex wasn't the only person in their lives who was attracted to girls.

"Don't be ridiculous, Piper," Carol replied. "You're just confused because of all the lesbians at Smith."

"I'm not confused at all." She took a step closer and used her best calm, rational voice. "I like boys and I like girls." She shrugged. "Simple as that."

"This is certainly news to me," her father said. "When did you make _this_ discovery?"

"I've come to terms with it over time," she tried, looking away. "It doesn't make me less of anything— I'm still a good student, a good friend, and at the core, I'm still the same girl you raised." She spread the mustard and mayonnaise on the wheat bread with shaky hands, and then put the slices together, cutting the loaf in half. "There's really nothing more to say on the subject, but if you want to talk about it..." Piper glanced up at her parents, eyes roaming between the two of them. When they didn't respond, she grabbed the sandwich and marched upstairs.

Piper sat on her bed with a thump, putting the turkey sandwich aside and covering her face with both hands. She felt the burn of tears threatening to fall, but she willed them to stay in check. She was sad and angry and hurt and frustrated on so many levels. She wanted to be with Alex, and whether she wanted to admit it or not, she still sought her parents' approval. If she _ever_ had a chance with Alex, it would likely be against her parents' will.

And then there was the matter of Alex coming over for dinner that evening. Perhaps her parents would cancel now that they knew Piper was bisexual and that Alex was more than likely gay. She didn't want to make life any harder for Alex than it must've already been. The only saving grace in the blonde's mind was that her dad seemed to care about only one thing regarding Alex—that she did an excellent job at maintaining the homes on Sand Point Road.


	8. Chapter 8

Piper ate lunch in her room, wondering why Alex had accepted her father's offer to join them for dinner. Did he pressure her? He'd often tell people, _I insist_ , leaving little room for rebuttal. Perhaps that was exactly what he'd done to the brunette. There was no way that Alex had gracefully accepted the invitation right off the bat. In Piper's mind, the dark haired woman was avoiding _her_ just as much as the opposite was true.

It wasn't until 5:30 when Piper ventured downstairs. Cal was playing on the X-box, her mother was reading a magazine, and her father was grilling chicken on the back deck.

Piper tied her hair into a ponytail, trying to act casual. "When is Alex coming over?"

"I don't know." Carol turned the page in her _Coastal Living_ magazine. "Ask your father since this was _his_ idea."

 _Typical_.

Piper walked onto the back deck and smelled grilled meat, instantly reminding her of all of the times Alex had cooked for her. "Hey dad, what time is Alex coming over?"

He looked at his watch. "In 10 or 15 minutes."

"Mom's not making an appetizer or anything?" She shoved a hand in her pocket. "I know how hungry I was after doing manual labor all day, so I would bet Alex will want to snack on something when she gets here."

"I don't think she has anything prepared." He gave her a closed lip smile as if silently saying, _you know your mother_.

"I can throw something together. Maybe a cheese plate or some chopped vegetables?"

"That sounds good." He paused, giving her a somber look. "Piper, we need to talk about your… _preferences_."

She averted her eyes. "That's fine, dad, but know that there's nothing you can do to change who I am."

"We'll see." He opened the grill and a cloud of smoke wafted out.

Piper needed something to keep her busy as the sound of a clock (or a bomb) ticked in her head not only for the impending conversation she'd have to have with her father, but also as she waited for Alex to arrive. She found a few carrots, cucumbers and bite-sized tomatoes, so she chopped what needed chopping and set the vegetables on a platter with a ramekin of Ranch dressing in the middle. Her mother seemed disinterested in anything going on in the kitchen, and the blonde thought it was just as well—the longer Carol was out of her hair, the better, especially after the bombshell that Piper had dropped on her parents earlier.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Piper froze.

"Turn that video game off, Cal, and answer the door," Carol groaned. She put the magazine back on the rack and stood. "Let's get this over with."

The blonde had to decide how to play this in an instant—by _not_ answering the door, she'd send a clear message to Alex that she wasn't welcoming her into their home. By _answering_ the door, she might appear too eager.

Cal solved her dilemma by jogging to the front door and swinging it open. "Hey, you must be Alex. I'm Cal."

She shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Cal."

The second Piper heard her husky voice, her body melted and she threw her head back and clutched her eyes shut.

"Alex is here," her brother yelled.

"That was right in my ear, son." She covered her ear as if Cal had blown her eardrum with his proclamation. "Hello, I'm Carol Chapman." She shook the taller woman's hand with just her fingertips. "What do we have here?"

"These are for you." Alex handed Carol a beautifully arranged bouquet of flowers ranging from purple lilies to blue hydrangeas and yellow peonies.

"How lovely. Thank you." Carol took the flowers and proceeded into the kitchen, not inviting the brunette to come further inside.

Alex stood in the doorway wearing a pair of dark denim jeans than Piper had never seen and an olive colored linen shirt. She put one hand in her back pocket and looked around, apparently waiting for permission to enter the living room.

The blonde took a deep breath and entered the living room. "Oh, hey," she tried to nonchalantly greet their guest.

"Piper." Alex's smile seemed… _anxious_.

Piper stayed about five feet away from the brunette and tried to keep up her casual façade. "My dad told me he invited you for dinner."

"Yeah, I tried to decline but he wouldn't hear of it." She shrugged.

"Come in," Piper said. She turned on her heel and led her companion to the back deck. She had to twist her hands in front of her to keep them from shaking. The only thing Piper could think about was their one, searing kiss. She shut her eyes for a second, trying to erase the mental image.

"Alex, good of you to join us," Bill greeted.

"Thanks for having me." She took in a big whiff of smoke from the grill. "It smells good. What are you cooking?"

"Romaine and chicken breasts," he offered. "Sort of a deconstructed Caesar salad. I'll grill some rosemary bread from Auntie's House once the chicken is done. I hope that sounds ok."

"Yeah, it does." She looked over at Piper who was fidgeting with the hem of her t-shirt.

"Piper, why don't you get Alex something to drink?" Bill asked.

"What do you want?" The blonde couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice.

"Anything is fine," Alex replied. "Water, lemonade, soda…a bottle of tequila."

Piper smiled against her will. Alex's sense of humor was one of a thousand things that the blonde found attractive about her.

"I'll see what we have." She went inside, leaving Alex with her dad. "Mom, what are we serving to drink tonight?"

" _I'm_ having a gin martini. If you want to open some white wine for your father and Alex, have at it." Carol brought the veggie tray outside. "Are you hungry for some Crudités?"

Piper put both hands on the counter and hung her head. She said a silent prayer that her nerves would subside and that the evening would be uneventful. The blonde hoped they'd eat quickly, skip dessert, and then Alex would go home. She didn't want to be caught staring at the dark haired woman at any point during the evening, so she put an elastic hair tie around her wrist and promised herself she'd snap it every other minute to remind herself to quit staring at her lips or her eyes or her broad shoulders… _or her lips_.

Piper struggled with a bottle of Chardonnay and hoped that she wouldn't get the cork stuck—she didn't need a reason to bond with Alex over a shared secret. As she began tugging the cork, Alex entered the kitchen.

"Need some help?"

"I think I can manage." She pulled the cork one last time, and it came out clean. She held it up for Alex to see, scowl firmly in place.

The brunette stepped closer. "It doesn't have to be like this."

She could smell her familiar fragrance, and Piper's body quivered. "You made it very clear how things _have to be_ , so yeah, it kind of does."

Alex reached out, fingertips skimming the blonde's waist. "Don't be upset."

Piper shivered at the other woman's faint touch. She couldn't look into her eyes—every demand Alex had would have been met with hypnotized agreement. Piper needed to be strong and let her companion know that everything was _not_ ok between them.

"Please," the brunette whispered inches from her face.

Carol walked in through the open French doors and hiccupped. "I'll take a glass of wine out to Bill. Why don't you join us on the deck? It's such a beautiful evening."

Alex walked away, rotating her neck to look at Piper. The blonde knew that her own facial expression showed how upset she was, and she didn't care if Alex was pissed at _her_ for acting immature.

The other factor at play was sure to be her mother's apparent intoxication. The blonde figured she must've been on her third or fourth gin drink, and it was only going to go downhill from there.

For the next 15 minutes, Alex stood outside, trying to make conversation with her parents, but Piper thought it couldn't have been easy. Alex was a great conversationalist to be sure, but talking with Carol Chapman would be a chore for anyone who wasn't in her social circle.

The blonde went in and out of the house, pretending to be on errands like getting napkins for everyone, refilling wine glasses, checking on her brother, etc. There was no way she could stand (or sit) still with Alex present, and she wondered what she'd do come dinnertime when they'd surely be seated across from each other.

Carol sipped her drink. "Set the table, Piper, and get your brother to join us."

"Let me help." Alex followed the blonde inside. "It's pretty painful out there."

Piper pulled a stack of plates out of the cupboard, setting them on the counter and was reminded of the five times she and Alex had shared dinner at the cottage. She tried to keep her eyes off of her guest, but at one point, Alex caught her eye and smiled. It wasn't a confident or condescending grin—it was just a simple gesture of kindness. The blonde didn't want to act this way, but she felt trapped.

Alex picked up the stack of plates. "Can we talk? Just the two of us?"

"Not tonight." She filled a pitcher with water.

"You're acting like a child, Piper," the brunette whispered harshly. "I want to have an _adult_ conversation with you. Let me know when you're prepared to do that." She marched back outside with the plates in hand.

Piper slammed the cabinet shut.

"Uh, everything ok?" Cal asked, grabbing a Pepsi from the refrigerator.

"It's fine. Take these outside; it's time to eat." She handed him the napkins and silverware.

The last thing she wanted Alex to think was that she was too young, because being _young_ meant being _immature_ , and Piper knew that her companion wouldn't want to be with someone who didn't act their age if not a bit older. She tried pulling herself together and changing her attitude. If she kept her mouth shut during dinner and didn't glance at Alex, she could get through the evening unscathed.

About halfway through dinner, Carol made herself another drink and hiccupped several times. Alex caught the blonde's eye and lifted her eyebrows. Piper could sense that it made their guest uncomfortable, and her father seemed to sense it as well.

"So, how did Piper do last week?" Bill asked.

"She did very well," Alex offered between bites of chicken. "You should've seen her sand the O'Sullivan's deck. It took her four hours, but I didn't even have to go over any rough spots. It was perfectly smooth and ready to be varnished."

"My daughter sanded a deck?" Carol asked with exasperation.

"Yes, and she painted a room, helped me mend the fence at the front of the road, filled a sink hole, mowed lawns, changed fuses, and secured a sail that blew over. She handled whatever task I gave her."

Bill looked on proudly. "I must say that I'm quite surprised, but pleased. Thank you for taking her under your wing."

Alex wiped her mouth with a starched napkin, and Piper could feel her gaze. "It was my pleasure."

"Did you know that my daughter is bisexual?" Carol asked, leaning forward and swirling her cocktail.

The blonde nearly choked on her chicken. "MOM!"

"Carol!" Bill reprimanded. "This is neither the time nor the place."

"Whoa, sis," Cal said. "Is that true?"

Alex was the only one who didn't seem to lose her cool. She gently set her fork and knife down on the side of her plate. "I don't think a person's sexual orientation is anyone's business, so excuse me if I refrain from commenting."

"Yes, of course," Bill said, giving his wife a barbed look. "Honey, why don't you go inside and get the cake?"

"Just shoo me away like a fly…it's fine." Carol stumbled to the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," her father said, shaking his head. "She's had one too many tonight."

Piper's whole body tensed as her eyes darted from one person to another until they met Alex's. The brunette gave her a pitied look.

"It happens." Alex set the napkin over her plate. "I should probably head home anyway. I'm going out of town tomorrow and need to get some stuff together."

"Where are you going?" the blonde blurted out.

"I have some errands to run." She nudged her glasses.

Piper's mind immediately jumped to Sylvie, and she could feel her face turning red. She had absolutely no right to be jealous, yet she was green with envy.

"I apologize again for my wife." Bill pushed his chair out. "Thank you for joining us tonight."

"Thanks for having me. The food was delicious." She stood and put her hand on Bill's shoulder in a thoughtful, warm way. "I'm sure I'll see you around."

Piper could see that the brunette was looking directly at her. "Yeah…I'm sure."

Her dad walked Alex to the door, while Piper and Cal cleared the table. She didn't want to even look at her mother after the shit she'd pulled. In fact, the blonde wanted to run to Alex's house and apologize profusely for such an awkward dinner. Instead, she kept her mouth shut as her dad excused himself to have a talk with her mom. Carol instructed the children to clean up, "and throw away the lettuce that your father burnt."

Watching her parents miserable marriage was difficult for Piper at times like that. She had very little respect for her alcoholic mother, but she respected her dad's work ethic. The blonde didn't agree with either of them politically, but she was thankful that she had her brothers to commiserate with. It wasn't until Piper went to college when she realized what a fucked up family life she had growing up. Sure, she wanted for nothing, but her parents didn't instill a work ethic or an appreciation of other cultures in her. She had a hard time relating to students in lower socio-economic brackets at Smith, and while she tried to be better at not assuming everyone had enough money to go to dinner or a movie on a whim, she still put her foot in her mouth on more than one occasion.

"So…you like boys _and_ girls?" Cal asked as he dried a bowl.

"Yeah," she replied in a weak voice.

He raised both hands in surrender. "I'm not judging or anything. It doesn't matter to me who you choose to hook up with."

"Thanks, Cal." She gave him the best smile she could muster. "I'm exhausted." She threw a dish towel on the counter and walked out of the kitchen. "Good night."

"Night, sis."

Piper tried to keep the images of Alex out of her mind, but it was damn near impossible. There had been only one other time when she'd seen the brunette in something other than her work clothes, and it was a sight to behold. The linen blouse she wore that night fit perfectly, defining her shoulders and breasts, and the jeans, well, no matter what pants the woman had on, they fit like a glove.

Before dozing off, Piper glanced at the stack of clothing that she needed to give back to Alex from her first day working with her. She would bring the clothes to the cottage the next day, since she knew that the dark haired woman would be out of town.

* * *

There's a chance I will post the next chapter this evening, but this day has totally gotten away from me. Thank you for the reviews so far.


	9. Chapter 9

Rated M for Mature.

* * *

The last thing Piper wanted to do that Saturday was hang around her crude mother. She announced that she would be out most of the day, going to the local bookstore and helping the owner print labels for the homemade jam she made every summer. Piper was obsessed with the woman's strawberry preserves, and every June since high school, she'd get three jars to take home for helping her design and print labels for the jars.

It had been mostly an uplifting day, and Piper successfully kept her mind off Alex for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. She drove back home around dinner time and remembered that she needed to return Alex's clothes. She'd take the garments in a brown paper bag and write a note once she was there, thanking the brunette for allowing her to borrow them.

"I'll be back later," she called to whoever was in the living room before slipping on her flip flops and shutting the door behind her.

Piper walked the familiar path to Alex's cottage, noticing that her truck wasn't in the driveway. It wasn't uncommon for the brunette to leave the front door open with the screen door shut so she could benefit from a constant breeze in the small space. Anytime she'd been to Alex's cottage, her iPod or NPR was playing, and that day was no different. She could hear Terry Gross introduce a guest on _Fresh Air_ , and it brought a smile to the blonde's face as she imagined warm summer days when Alex would chop potatoes or pluck the strings on her guitar while listening to an NPR interview.

While they'd worked in the massive yards or houses along Sand Point Road, Piper and Alex would often discuss current events. The blonde had to admit that her companion knew at least one detail about everything from corporate mergers to farming in America. She'd told Piper that she owed much of her random knowledge to listening to NPR, though she also read the Sunday _Times_.

Piper trekked down to the red Adirondack chairs and set the bag of clothes down, taking in the stunning view. Her mind was immediately flooded with images of sitting outside with Alex, eating, laughing, and talking. It had been so easy to fall in step with her—like they'd known each other in another lifetime. Piper wished that she'd had the chance to ask the brunette if she believed in past lives, and if Alex did, she had a book to recommend about the subject.

She pulled out the small notepad and pen that she'd stuffed into the bag and began writing.

 _Alex,_

 _Thank you for allowing me_

A voice from behind startled her. "Piper? What are you doing here?"

The blonde whipped her head around and was shocked to see Alex walking down from the shed. "What are _you_ doing here? I thought you were out of town?"

"I asked first."

Piper got a good look at the woman she'd once kissed—cascading black hair, faded jeans with a hole on one knee, and a light blue t-shirt with the Chevrolet emblem across her chest.

"I was writing you a note…" Piper set the pad of paper down on the arm of one of the Adirondack chairs. "I'm returning the clothes you let me borrow last week…I didn't think you'd be here."

"So it would be less awkward?" The brunette folded her arms, and Piper noticed she'd cut a V out of the neck of the shirt, and her magenta sports bra peeked out.

"Awkward like it is right now? Yeah, that's what I was hoping to avoid." Piper spun her body completely towards the other woman. "Your truck wasn't here, I assumed you were gone, and I decided to just leave the clothes for you to pick up when you returned."

Alex glanced off in the distance, and Piper wondered what was running through her mind. "My truck crapped out at Shaw's."

"So, you didn't leave town?"

She shrugged, stuffing one hand in her pocket. "Why does that matter?"

The blonde considered her question, averted her eyes and then regained her willpower. "Because I thought you were going to New Hampshire to be with Sylvie."

Alex let out an almost imperceptible huff. "Wow, you're really hanging on to that one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She took a step forward. "Sylvie spent the night with you last week, and you told me that the two of you had some sort of _pact_ to always be there for each other, so I assumed that's where you needed to be."

The brunette shook her head. "Not everything is so black and white, kid."

"You don't owe me an explanation." She began walking away, but Alex caught her bicep.

"Don't be an asshole, Piper."

The blonde shot her best, _take your hands off of me,_ look.

Alex released her grip. "I'm fairly certain that there are things we haven't asked each other that could clear this situation up pretty quickly." She ran that same hand through her hair. "But we're both too…I don't know… _chicken shit_ to ask."

The blonde lifted her chin. "I'm not afraid of anything."

Alex looked up and laughed. When her gaze returned to Piper, lips still tugging upwards, the brunette replied, "Then tell me what you want to say."

Piper's heart pounded like a drum and she opened her mouth to put Alex in her place, but no words came out.

"What's wrong?" The dark haired woman gave her a smug look. "Cat got your tongue?"

Piper focused on a spot in the distance, careful to keep her gaze away from the other woman. "I thought you'd be above cliché's."

Alex didn't offer a rebuttal, so the blonde continued. "What am I supposed to say? That I'm attracted to you?"

Her companion seemed unaffected, which drove Piper mad.

"First of all, you're not supposed to _assume_ anything, Piper." She took a few steps closer. "Think about the other morning when you saw Sylvie leaving my house."

Piper rolled her eyes. That was the _last_ thing she wanted to think about.

Once again, Alex folded her arms. "What _didn't_ you ask me?"

"I don't know," she began with a frustrated sigh and a quick shake of her head. "How many times you fucked that night?"

Alex raised her eyes to the heavens and appeared exasperated.

"I really don't want to know the answer to that," the blonde continued.

"Actually, I think you do." She tugged Piper by the shoulders until their lips met. Once again, there was very little affection and no room for tongues to explore. Their lips crashed together like two meteorites in the sky—no tenderness; all explosive.

The blonde pushed against her chest until their lips parted. "Fuck you, Alex!"

Alex trapped both of Piper's wrists in one hand. "I didn't have sex with Sylvie that night."

That couldn't be true. Why would a woman with a rainbow sticker on the back of her car spend the night at her friend-with-benefit's house and _not_ have sex? Especially when the other person was _Alex Fucking Vause_?

The blonde shook her head. "I don't understand."

"That night before dinner, Sylvie texted me, telling me she needed a friend." She released Piper's wrists and ran a hand through her thick hair.

Piper crossed her arms protectively over her chest.

"She'd lost her job and needed someone to listen. Usually that kind of conversation would make me feel sorry for her and we'd have sex, but I couldn't do it." The dark haired woman looked directly into Piper's eyes. "And it was because of you."

Piper creased her brows.

"I had to tell a woman I've been… _involved with_ …for the past five years that I couldn't have sex with her that night, because I was falling for someone else," Alex's voice quivered.

Piper couldn't breathe—it was as if a helium balloon was stuck in her chest, waiting for someone to pop it.

"I had zero expectations for you, kid. I mean, I thought you were cute, and I could innocently flirt without any repercussions." She shrugged. "I had absolutely no intention of taking things further, but you were…I don't know... _you_ , and it fucked with my head." She let out a long puff of air, and the blonde stood ramrod straight, afraid if she'd move, she'd realize she was waking from a dream. "I wasn't looking for a random hook up or for some sort of intellectual equal, but you came along and…"

"And what?" Piper kept her tears at bay, but she was trembling.

The brunette gently shook her head, as if she herself couldn't believe what she was about to say. "Knocked my world off its fucking axis."

Piper took a step forward and reached for her, pulling Alex by the shoulders. The blonde angled her head and their mouths fused together again. A whimper escaped her own mouth, followed by Alex's moan. Piper's head was spinning—it didn't feel like the moment was real. When Alex changed angles, the blonde could feel the other woman's tongue caress her lower lip. Piper opened her mouth wider, allowing Alex to slip her tongue inside. Kissing Alex was better than anything Piper had ever experienced—better than making out with _any_ boy, eating her favorite ice cream, swimming in the cold ocean, or feeling a runner's high—this was _other worldly good_ , and she didn't want to stop.

Alex's hands found their way through blonde hair, and Piper held on to her companion's waist so tightly, she was sure she'd leave bruises. The brunette started walking backwards, never breaking the kiss, and their hands began to roam all over each other's body. One of Alex's slid under the hem of Piper's gray tank top, and when her hand came into contact with bare flesh, the blonde whimpered. Piper ran her right hand up the other woman's body on the outside of her shirt, and when it reached her breasts, she gently squeezed one. She'd never touched a woman's breasts before, and a shiver spread through her body at the way it felt in her hands. Piper wondered in that moment if she would ever go back to boys. Alex was soft in all the right places and firm in others. Her arms were hard and strong, and her shoulders— _my God, those shoulders_ —were broad and muscular. Piper wished she had another hand to explore Alex's body more fully, because two certainly weren't enough.

Piper lowered her head after breaking the kiss. "I just assumed…"

Alex lifted her chin with two fingers. "Never assume anything when it comes to me."

She looked the brunette in the eye, a smile slowly tugging at her lips. "Should I assume that you like me?"

"All evidence points in that direction, so yes, that's the _only_ thing you can safely assume."

They made it through the front door, and the NPR broadcast was much louder inside. Piper's senses were on overload—the feel of Alex's tongue in her mouth and hands on her body, the scent of her, the sounds she was making—everything was driving her over the edge, and she thought she might have an orgasm without taking her clothes off.

"I've never…" Piper pulled back when they reached the center of the living room. "I mean, this is my first time with a woman."

"I bet it's also going to be your first time with NPR in the background." Alex smiled and brushed blonde hair out of her face.

She smiled. "That, too."

The brunette caressed her cheeks with her thumbs. "We can take it slow."

"Maybe we can go slow next time," she replied with need in her voice. "Right now, not so much."

That was all it took for their passionate kissing to resume. Piper's legs hit the side of the sofa, and she tumbled back, Alex on top of her. There was no time to laugh at the urgency and gracelessness of the encounter, but the blonde could feel Alex smiling against her lips. Alex's hands trailed under Piper's tank top and landed on her perky breasts. She continued moving her hands upwards until the shirt gathered on the brunette's forearms and she flung it over the back of the leather sofa. She leaned down and placed wet kisses along Piper's neck, chest and then breasts, untying the bikini top with one hand while massaging her right breast with the other.

When the garment was gone, Alex got on her knees and stared with an open mouth at the blonde. "I don't know if you realize how _fucking_ _beautiful_ you are."

She blushed and reached for the brunette's waist, pulling her back down and taking her t-shirt off at the same time. Alex was able to maneuver out of her sports bra, and Piper couldn't resist taking one of her dangling nipples into her mouth. They tasted like marzipan, and if she was thinking clearly, she would've commented as such, but her mind was focused on bathing the other woman's nipple with her lips and tongue.

"So are you," Piper managed to mumble.

Alex scooted down, which forced the blonde to release her nipple, and kissed a path across her stomach. She unzipped Piper's shorts, and as the blonde kicked them off, she hit a ceramic lamp that went crashing to the floor.

"Fuck, I'm sorry!" She tried to sit up, but Alex pinned her down with her forearm against Piper's stomach.

"Don't worry about it." She continued kissing a trail down the blonde's tight abdomen. "I bought it at a garage sale."

Piper giggled, but her mirth didn't last long when she felt Alex's hand touch her center. "Oh, mmm."

The brunette slithered down Piper's body, pulling her shorts and bikini bottom off simultaneously. Once again, she sat up and took in the woman beneath her. Alex's expression was hungry, but it was also affectionate. She skimmed the blonde's breasts, then sides, and then her thighs with her fingertips, and then lowered herself to the end of the sofa, pushing Piper gently so that both of them had room on the furniture.

Alex kissed her most sensitive spot several times, and Piper's hand instinctively flew to the back of the brunette's head. She moaned and wiggled, trying to indicate wordlessly to Alex what she wanted. When the dark haired woman took her sweet time, kissing the blonde's mound without spreading her folds, Piper had enough.

"Alex, please." She looked down at the other woman between her legs and almost came on the spot at the _sexiness_ of their position.

The brunette smirked, and then parted her folds with two fingers. She rubbed her finger up and down the inside of Piper's center, gathering wetness with each stroke, and by the fifth pass, Piper couldn't take it any longer. " _Oh, fuck, Alex, God! Alex, oh my God_!"

Just as the blonde was coming down from her first orgasm with a woman, Alex replaced her fingers with her mouth, and less than a minute later, another orgasm ripped through her. She couldn't see straight—everything was starry and blurry and _right_. Alex's hand crawled up to feel the blonde's belly tighten as she continued licking her sensitive nub.

Piper moaned and gasped and threw her head back, squeezing her eyes shut until the second orgasm subsided. "Holy shit!" She panted loudly. "That was…"

"Bad?" She kissed her way up the blonde's body.

Piper draped her arms around Alex's shoulders and kissed her firmly on the mouth. "I never knew sex could be that good."

"Makes you question why the fuck you were ever into boys, huh?" Alex chuckled between kisses.

The women made out leisurely on the sofa until Piper requested that they stop listening to NPR and maybe got into some mood music. Alex teased her about what she might consider _mood music_ , so Piper shuffled through the iPod until she found a suitable playlist. "Something like this."

 _In the Air Tonight_ came on and Alex raised her eyebrows. "This is what you consider mood music?"

She shrugged. "I love how mysterious it sounds, and the drum riff at the end is so dramatic."

The brunette reached for Piper's hand and started walking towards the bedroom. "You know it's about Phil Collins' bitter divorce, right?"

"Don't tell me that when I'm trying to get in the mood!"

The brunette smirked. "Cause you're not already?"

"I'm about to _not_ be," she replied playfully.

"Stop! Stay where you are." The brunette looked down at the ceramic lamp in pieces on the floor.

Piper tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she eyed the thick shards of glass. "I'm really sorry about that."

"I'm impressed that whatever I was doing to you in the moment warranted that forceful of a reaction." She carefully moved towards the front door, slipped on her flip flops, and then returned to the center of the room. "Step on my feet, and I'll walk you to the bedroom so you don't cut yourself."

She threw her arms around Alex's neck and stepped on the tops of her feet. "Why don't you just carry me?"

She took four big steps, and they were in the bedroom. "That would be entirely too cheesy."

Piper grinned. "It wasn't too cheesy for you when the splinter was stuck in my foot."

"That was different." The brunette kissed her.

"How?"

"I was just getting a feel for you then. It wasn't a _move_ , per se." Alex ran her hands down the blonde's bare arms.

"In _my_ mind, it was," Piper said, nibbling on Alex's ear.

"Oh, really?" The other woman chuckled.

"How do you still have jeans on?" Piper asked, unbuttoning them.

She stepped out of the denim. "Changing the subject?"

"No, just realizing you aren't as naked as I am." The blonde sat on the lip of the bed. "What did you think of me when we first met?"

"Honestly?" Alex sat next to her. "I thought you were hot, I mean, that was my first thought, but I figured you'd be a spoiled brat."

"Hey!" She playfully slapped her lover's arm.

"What?" Alex chuckled. "All the kids down this street are pretty much assholes."

"Except me."

She kissed Piper's nose. "I know that _now_. Your little brother seems kind of cool, too."

Piper leaned in and began kissing Alex far more gently than they had previously. They made out in the bed, both fully naked, for several minutes before Piper decided to and go down on Alex. She didn't know what to expect as she positioned herself between the brunette's legs. Piper breathed in the musky scent of her pussy and was surprised that she wanted to taste it. She opened Alex's folds with both index fingers and looked inside, swallowing hard as the desire pooled within her.

Piper looked up, and Alex put her hand gently on the side of her head. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I want to," she replied, dipping her head lower and sticking her tongue out for the first taste of Alex Vause. With a pointed tongue, she made three tentative licks on the brunette's clit, and then pulled her tongue back into her mouth to see what Alex tasted like.

She liked it…a lot.

Piper dove back in, this time flattening her tongue and making longer, broader strokes until Alex began to squirm. The blonde kept pulling her tongue back into her mouth to swallow the taste, and the more she went down on Alex, the more she couldn't get enough. Eventually, Piper opened her mouth as wide as she could as she ate Alex out, sucking the pink flesh into her mouth over and over again. Piper never thought it would feel so satisfying to make another person cum, but she didn't want to stop hearing the little sounds her partner made just before an orgasm roared to life.

The women stayed in bed until the playlist came to an end, and Piper figured they'd probably fucked a total of six or seven times. She'd _never_ wanted anyone the way she wanted Alex, and during one of the times when Alex's head was between her legs, she felt tears prickle her eyes.

Hours later, the dark haired woman rolled over. "I'm getting kind of hungry for something other than your pussy, which, by the way, is delectable."

"Is it?" Piper bit her lower lip and blushed.

That resulted in a relatively quick 69 position, and both women came within seconds of each other. Piper climbed off and flopped on her back, one hand on Alex's stomach.

"You're insatiable," the brunette commented.

She turned her head to face her lover. "I want to do this all night."

Alex gathered the blonde in her arms. "I think I can accommodate that request," she chuckled.

They laid in bed together, wrapped in each other's arms until Piper's stomach growled. The women laughed at the deep rumble, and finally got out of bed. The blonde texted her father, letting him know she was spending the night at a friend's house. She didn't care what his response would be—spending the night with Alex was her priority, and come hell or high water, she would sleep in her lover's arms that night.

"Mind if I play some music?" Piper had thrown on one of Alex's black t-shirts and found her own bikini bottom behind the sofa.

"Go for it." Alex had on a white baseball shirt with red sleeves and gray, cotton shorts.

She found the Bootstraps Homages CD and put it on shuffle. The first song, _Everywhere_ , was one of Piper's favorites.

Piper wrapped her arms around the other woman's waist and rested her chin on Alex's shoulder. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do this in your kitchen?"

The brunette grinned and turned her head slightly.

Piper kissed her way up Alex's neck and cheek. "Why does this feel so natural?"

Alex turned in her arms, back resting against the counter, and flung her arms over the blonde's shoulders. "Have you ever been in love?"

"No," she answered somewhat sheepishly.

"Well…" Alex lifted her eyebrows as if trying to get Piper to understand what she was silently communicating.

"Oh." The wheels turned in Piper's head. "I mean, _**oh**_."

Alex smiled, blush spreading across her cheeks.

They kissed very, very tenderly, and Alex started swaying her hips until the women ended up dancing in the kitchen—Piper's head buried against her shoulder, and Alex's cheek on top of blonde hair.

Piper knew what Alex said had to be true—she'd been falling in love with the other woman more and more each day, she just hadn't known what to call it until that moment.

When the song was over, Alex kissed the top of her blonde head. "That was nice."

"It was."

The brunette opened the Frigidaire. "I have some leftover pulled pork; we can make sandwiches."

"Sounds great."


	10. Chapter 10

The women ate and talked and laughed and kissed their way through the night. Alex was the first to rise the next morning. She seemingly tried getting out of bed without waking Piper, but the blonde felt the mattress dip. A smile slowly crept across Piper's face as Alex lifted one of her legs off of her thigh.

"Morning," the brunette greeted.

"Good morning," she replied hoarsely, touching Alex's shoulder and taking a few seconds to realize where she was. "This really happened."

"It did." Alex propped herself onto one elbow and faced the blonde. "How do you feel?"

"Good." She tossed a chunk of dark hair over Alex's shoulder. "Sore, but good."

Alex giggled and kissed her on the forehead, then the nose, and finally on the lips. "I need to go to the Farmer's Market before it gets too crowded."

Piper rubbed her eyes, then stretched. "Want some company?"

"Yeah." She hopped out of bed. "You can go back to sleep for a little while if you want. I'm going to shower."

She smiled. "Is it big enough for both of us?"

"My shower?"

Piper nodded.

"Let's find out." Alex reached for her lover, and Piper grabbed her hand. They were both naked as they padded towards the bathroom, careful to avoid the pieces of ceramic that they'd yet to clean up.

Piper got on her knees in the shower, throwing one of the brunette's legs over a shoulder before Alex instituted a no touching policy so that they could make it out of the house by 9 a.m. in order to avoid the crowd at the Farmer's Market.

* * *

The Sunday Farmer's Market in Kennebunkport drew hundreds of tourists and residents from the nearby towns. There were more than 30 stalls, selling everything from fresh fruit & vegetables to local honey to bouquets of flowers to prepared food, like grilled corn and freshly baked scones.

Piper had always enjoyed venturing to the farmer's market, but she rarely went when there wasn't a crowd. She wondered if her parents would make an appearance that day, but she knew they planned to head back to Connecticut at an earlier hour than usual because her father had a business meeting first thing on Monday morning.

Alex picked up a grapefruit and smelled it, and then held it up for the blonde to sniff. "Know how to tell if a grapefruit is ripe?"

"I'm guessing by smelling it." She took in a big whiff. "It's sweet."

"That's what you're looking for." She put two grapefruits into a bag. "You can do that for pretty much any fruit. Give it a good squeeze, too. You don't want it to be super soft, but definitely not hard." She handed the vendor $2.

Piper smiled up at her. She loved that Alex taught her about practical things. "This is nice."

Alex glanced at her. "What, the market?"

"The market, the breeze, the sunshine." She shrugged. "Being with you."

The brunette bumped Piper's upper arm with her shoulder. "It is."

They walked from stall to stall making small talk, and at one point, Alex grabbed the blonde's fingertips, holding on to them a little longer than Piper expected. It sent an electric current through the blonde's veins, and she wanted desperately to link their hands together as they strolled around Block Square. However, Piper had no idea if her lover wanted to be exposed like that, nor did she know if she herself was ready for any public displays of affection with a person of the same sex.

Alex surveyed a cheese display and popped a sample of lavender goat cheese into her mouth. "You're in charge of dinner tonight."

"Me?" She jutted her head back. "The only thing I can cook is a Kraft macaroni and cheese! And I've only been successful at that like three times."

"I'll walk you through it." The dark haired woman grinned. "You choose the ingredients, and we'll come up with something together, but you're going to do most of the prep."

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Piper ate a slice of aged Gouda that Alex held out for her.

"The only rule I have is that cheese and seafood don't mix," Alex replied, ignoring her lover's protests.

Piper surveyed the other cheese varietals. "I don't think I'll be very good at this."

The brunette leaned down to whisper, "You didn't think you'd be good at having sex with a woman, but you earned a gold star for that."

Piper felt her cheeks heat up with a touch of embarrassment, but she was also turned on by the thought of what they'd done that night and into the morning. Truth be told, the blonde didn't know if she'd like the taste or the feeling of eating Alex out, but the more she did it, the more she savored it. She licked her lips, wondering if they could find a hidden spot where she could go down on her lover and make her writhe with pleasure.

Alex looked at her sideways. "I know what you're thinking."

The blonde's eyes shot open. "You do?"

"Patience, kid. I have some things to do before we can do _that_ again," the brunette chuckled.

Although Piper was a bit disappointed in her answer, it wasn't lost on her that Alex insinuated that there would be more sex in the near future. She could hold out a few hours, but she didn't want to leave Alex's side that day.

Piper chose random ingredients for dinner that night, keeping some of it as a surprise for Alex, who would probably look at the produce and mutter, "What the fuck?" The blonde didn't care so much about what they'd eat; rather, she was just excited to prepare a meal together, stealing kisses as they worked around each other in the tiny kitchen—something she'd wanted to do since the first time she had dinner with Alex.

They'd walked to the Farmer's Market that morning, because Alex had abandoned her truck in the Shaw's parking lot the day before. She invited Piper to go along with her to check on the truck, but she also gave her an out, saying that she was free to go to her house to take a shower "or whatever."

There was no way the blonde was going back to her house while her parents were still there, so she followed Alex to the grocery store parking lot.

"You know how to fix trucks, too?" Piper asked, nibbling on a freshly baked scone.

"I know the basics," she replied around a strawberry. "I helped a guy restore my Chevy a few years ago. It took us about six months to get it running, but it was worth it."

They arrived in the parking lot, and Alex popped the hood of the Chevy. She pointed out several engine parts to Piper, and then asked the blonde to get her tool kit from under the seat.

Alex used a socket wrench to unscrew the electrical and vacuum lines. "I've had some trouble with the exhaust gas recirculation valve, so I'll check that first." She pulled it out and examined it. "See that black stuff around the top?"

Piper nodded.

"I'm pretty sure that's blocking gasoline from reaching the engine, so it's only trickling in rather than pumping at full force." She rubbed the device with a shop rag until the soot was gone. "Let's try that." She replaced the valve, and then hopped into the driver's seat.

"Should I stand back?" the blonde asked, taking a step away regardless of the answer.

"It's not like the truck is going to explode," Alex laughed as she pulled the choke and turned the key.

The engine roared twice, and then the vehicle started.

"You did it!" Piper exclaimed.

"Looks like it." The dark haired woman smiled. "Get in, babe."

The blonde did as she was told, reeling at Alex's term of endearment. She rolled down the window and tapped the crumbs from her scone outside so they wouldn't fall into the truck. Piper admired how much Alex took care of the 1955 Chevy, and really, everything that she touched. When something broke in the Chapman household, her parents just bought a replacement, but Alex was different—she'd fix whatever needed fixing before buying something new.

Piper wondered what it would be like for Alex to be her girlfriend, and a smile crossed her face at the very thought. She knew they weren't at the stage yet where their coupling needed to be defined, but if the brunette had asked her what she wanted in that moment, Piper was prepared to reply, " _You_."

"I have to stop at the Stein's house on the way back and drop off some fruit," Alex announced as she turned down Sand Point Road.

When the blonde glanced over at her, she was struck by how young Alex looked with her hair blowing in the wind and cheeks a little reddened by too much sun already that morning.

"How old are you?" Piper blurted out.

The brunette regarded her, grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Just wondering if I'm sleeping with a woman in her 40s."

"Forty? Really?" Alex took one hand off the wheel and playfully shoved her companion.

"I'm kidding." She smiled. "Sometimes you look my age, and other times you seem much older."

Alex pulled into the Stein's driveway. "Twenty-eight."

Piper paused before getting out of the truck. "Am I too young for you?"

With one hand on the door handle, Alex leaned towards her companion. "Definitely not."

Piper flashed her a toothy smile. "Good."

The dark haired woman exited the truck and reached into the flatbed for two fabric bags filled with assorted fruit, and Piper followed her inside.

"I'm going to find a bowl for these in the kitchen." She passed Piper in the hallway. "Be right back."

The blonde walked into the massive living room and noticed a white Baby Grand near the fireplace. She walked over to it, skimming her fingers over the varnished wood, and then pulled out the bench to sit down and play a few chords.

Piper began to play the last song she'd learned without sheet music. About halfway through, she looked up and noticed Alex in the doorway, leaning against the jamb with her arms crossed and an unreadable expression. When the brunette noticed Piper's stare, she pushed herself off of the jamb and walked towards her companion.

"Know it?" Piper asked, looking down at the piano when she missed a note.

"John Legend." The dark haired woman grinned. " _Ordinary People_."

"I know every word, but you don't want me to sing."

Alex gave her a sweet smile. "Just keep playing."

Piper stopped for a few seconds and scooted over, silently inviting Alex to join her on the narrow bench.

The brunette did just that, folding her hands in her lap and closing her eyes. Piper watched her closely, and then resumed stroking the keys. When she finished that song, Alex didn't attempt to get up, so the blonde played another one.

A wide smile registered on Alex's face. " _Sweet Child of Mine_?"

She continued playing, messing up three or four times but finally found the right keys. "Damn, sorry."

"It's ok," the brunette chuckled, eyes still shut. "You're really good."

"I took lessons for _years_ growing up, and I needed one fine arts credit at Smith, so I took an intermediate piano class last semester." Piper thought of another song she might know all of the notes to without sheet music. She struck a few keys, playing the simple introduction to one of her favorites.

The dark haired woman smiled warmly. " _Bright Lights & Cityscapes_."

Piper returned her smile.

About halfway through the song, the dark haired woman reached over, cupping Piper's cheek with her hand and slowly moved in for a kiss. At first, Piper continued striking the keys, but her concentration was all but lost when Alex's tongue entered her mouth. Alex straddled her lap, forcing Piper's hands to find purchase on the other woman's hips.

The kiss grew more passionate, and Alex pulled back, fingers twisting in blonde hair. "I had no idea you played the piano."

She stroked the smooth skin under the hem of Alex's t-shirt. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

"Is that right?" She smirked.

The blonde nodded.

"Like what?" Alex kissed a trail down her neck.

"Mmm…" she tried to concentrate, but it was damn near impossible with her lover's lips making their way down to her chest. "I'll surprise you every day."

"I hope so." Alex returned her mouth to Piper's. "Let's get out of here." She hopped off the blonde's lap and held a hand out.

"One more." Piper played the first few chords to _A Whole New World_.

" _Aladdin_? Seriously?"

The blonde stood. "What do you have against Disney movies?"

"They're all so… _hetero_." She grabbed Piper's hand and locked the front door on the way out. "And there's always a woman who needs rescuing."

"Not all of them," Piper commented, getting into the truck from the driver's side. " _Pocahontas_ and _Brave_ both feature strong female characters."

"Scoot over, Cinderella." Alex got in, thrusting her hip against Piper's until she slid across the bench seat. "Not that far." The brunette grabbed the inside of her lover's thigh and yanked her closer until their legs touched. "Better."

Piper blushed, terribly delighted by her lover's actions.

They drove towards the end of the road, and as they passed the Chapman home, Piper noticed that her father's Range Rover was still in the driveway.

The brunette glanced at her. "Were you expecting them to be gone?"

"I don't know what I was expecting." She brushed her hair out of her face. "Can we just go to your place?"

She squeezed Piper's leg. "If you want to talk about them, you can."

She looked up at the brunette and twisted their fingers together. "Thanks."

They unloaded their produce from the back of the truck, and then Piper checked her cell phone to see if her parents had tried to contact her. The only text message she had was from Cal, telling her that they were heading back to Connecticut after lunch. At least she knew _that_ much.

It didn't bother the blonde that her parents hadn't enquired about her whereabouts; in fact, Piper was convinced that she should live her life as she saw fit and not try to mold herself into something her parents would approve of. Although she was still at the beginning stages of a potential relationship with Alex, it felt more _right_ than any other coupling in her entire life.

"Let's see what you bought." Alex opened one of the fabric bags. "What the fuck is this?"

Piper peeked over her shoulder. "Pretty fruit."

The brunette turned her head. " _You're_ a pretty fruit."

The blonde giggled, reaching around her lover to pull out four nectarines, a pomegranate, and a package of strawberries.

Alex picked up the pomegranate. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"There's another bag of stuff." She opened a second bag and pulled out peppered goat cheese, prosciutto, and two heirloom tomatoes. "You told me to get whatever I wanted."

She popped a strawberry into her mouth. "Yeah, but I figured you'd buy stuff that goes together like Burrata and basil."

Piper scratched her head and shrugged. "I'm sure you can think of something to do with all of this."

"You're the one cooking tonight, remember?"

"I was hoping you'd forgotten that part."

"Not a chance." She scooted past the blonde, running a hand across her midsection as she made her way into the living room. "Give those a good wash, and we'll deal with them later. I have some things I have to do today. You're welcome to hang out here, but I'll be out for a few hours."

The blonde pouted, but Alex couldn't see her face from the living room. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not right now." She turned on her iPod and Melody Gardot sang _Worrisome Heart_. Alex walked back into the kitchen, taking both of Piper's hands in hers. "Make yourself comfortable here—you can take a nap," she kissed the blonde on the temple. "Read a book," Another kiss on her nose. "Wait for me naked in bed." Finally, Alex's lips landed on Piper's, and she deepened the kiss.

The blonde moved her hands to her lover's breasts, and she was rewarded with a low moan. Alex squeezed Piper's ass, and then placed three pecks on her lips before pulling back. "I really have to go."

Piper creased her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Sundays are busy." Alex brushed a strand of blonde hair across her lover's forehead.

"I thought you were off on Sundays?" She pouted.

"I have things to do, babe." She lifted Piper's chin with two fingers until their eyes met. "But I want you to be here when I get back. Give me four hours."

"Ok." She looked at her feet, trying to keep the disappointment out of her tone.

"I'll make it up to you." The brunette kissed her firmly on the mouth one more time. "Promise." Alex grabbed her purse off the kitchen table and walked out of the screen door without looking back.

* * *

Author's Note: Three chapters left after this one.


	11. Chapter 11

Rated M for Mature.

* * *

Piper plopped down on the sofa, Alex's iPod in hand, and scrolled through hundreds of artists before settling on Sam Cooke and remembering that first night when Alex had invited her to dinner. Her expectations had been low at that point, but reflecting on that evening, Piper could now admit that she'd wanted more from Alex from the start. The fact that the two of them had sex and appeared to be continuing some sort of physical relationship made the blonde smile. There was no question that they were developing an emotional bond as well, and Piper wondered if their relationship would last past the end of summer, when she had to return for her last year at Smith.

She stood and looked out of the bay window at the boats sailing on the ocean. Piper didn't want to be the girl who wondered where her lover was every minute of the day, but she couldn't help herself in that moment. She became jealous of whoever Alex was with, but then realized that she might've not been with anyone. The dark haired woman could have been working on a special project for a resident on Sand Point Road or eating Sunday brunch with a friend.

That's when it dawned on her that Alex trusted her to be alone in her home—that had to count for something. She had also mentioned that she wanted Piper to be there when she returned. Perhaps she was jealous for absolutely no reason.

Piper walked around the cottage, exploring the small space with a keen eye. She picked up a book on the coffee table and read the title: _The Golden Ocean_. Piper decided go outside and read the novel that Alex had dog eared on page 77. Before settling into one of the Adirondack chairs, she made herself a sandwich and poured a glass of lemonade. She felt more comfortable in Alex's cottage than she ever had in her own home in Connecticut or four doors down on Sand Point Road.

Although the novel was decent, Piper understood why Alex hadn't gotten past the first five chapters. She put the book down, closing her eyes against the bright sun, and tried to take a nap. The breeze should've been enough to lull her to sleep, but the second Piper shut her eyes, she had visions of the two of them having sex. She stirred in the chair, trying to think about the work she had to accomplish that week at her internship, but those thoughts were short-lived as Alex's breasts entered her mind.

She imagined lying on her back, reaching up with her mouth to take a taut nipple in. The blonde envisioned Alex's head rolling back, enjoying the sensation with a slight grin on her face. The scene played out in Piper's head until she grew uncomfortable and had to stand. Piper took a few deep breaths and ran a hand through her messy blonde hair. The sexual desire was coiled inside of her like a snake, and she needed release—there was no way she'd make it another three hours until Alex returned.

Piper remembered finding the vibrator in Alex's sock drawer and hoped it was still there. She walked into the bedroom, opened the drawer and saw the silver object hanging out of a pair of socks. She brought it to her nose, hoping to smell Alex on it, but it had no scent. The blonde laid in the bed, pulling her shorts and underwear down and placing the bullet directly on her clit. She'd never used one of those devices before, but she figured with the click of a switch, she'd feel pleasure coursing through her body. Piper flicked the tiny lever and felt the vibrations go from slow to fast within seconds.

 _Fuck_.

She imagined Alex going down on her, and then her mind shifted to Alex using the device to pleasure herself. All of a sudden, a powerful orgasm ripped through her, and she yelled Alex's name over and over again. Once she was completely satisfied, Piper removed the bullet from her center and breathed heavily as she came down from a dramatic high. She blushed, turning her head to the side and smelling Alex's shampoo on the pillow. The blonde fell fast asleep in that position with a satisfied grin on her face.

* * *

She had no idea how much time had passed when she felt the bed dip and looked up to find Alex next to her perched on an elbow.

"Well, well," the brunette stated, smirk firmly in place. "What do we have here?"

It took Piper a moment to remember where she was and what she'd been doing before dozing off. "Alex, hi, um...What time is it?"

"Almost four." She kissed the blonde soundly on the lips, and then held up the vibrator. "Couldn't wait for me to come back?"

Piper felt the blush spread across her face and covered her eyes with the back of her arm.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Alex gently pulled the blonde's arm down. "I just have one request." Before Piper could even attempt to come up with an excuse about using the vibrator, the dark haired woman continued. "Show me what you did to yourself."

"You're not upset with me?" the blonde asked, still feeling the heat in her cheeks.

"For what?"

She averted her eyes. "For snooping."

"No." Alex kissed her again. "Whatever is in this house, you can see, touch, feel." She slipped her tongue inside the blonde's mouth. "Nothing is off limits."

After a five minute makeout session, Piper enquired. "Why do you trust me so much?"

The brunette glanced away as if deep in thought, and then shrugged. "I just do."

They kissed more leisurely this time, but after a few moments, the blonde felt the slim cord on her stomach as Alex moved the bullet down into her underwear. Piper smiled against her lips.

"Is this ok?" Alex whispered.

She nodded. "I hadn't used one of these before."

The dark haired woman tugged at Piper's lower lip. "Did you like it?"

She lifted her arms when she felt Alex pulling at her shirt. "Yeah."

The garment was discarded along with her bikini top, and Alex sucked a nipple into her mouth.

"I imagined you using it on yourself." She squirmed, lifting her hips to gain contact with the buzzing device.

"I'd rather have your tongue inside of me," the brunette growled. She positioned the bullet precisely on Piper's clit.

"I'd rather that, too."

A minute later, an orgasm surfaced, and Piper writhed on the bed, screaming Alex's name, pleased that she was there to swallow the loud moans down her throat.

"Wow," Piper panted, eyes screwed shut. " _Fuck_."

Before she had a chance to fully recover, Piper watched her lover slither down her body and lick her dripping pussy. The blonde knew how wet she must have been, and Alex sucked every last drop of liquid from her center, causing the blonde to have another convulsion, this one far calmer but equally overwhelming.

"God, Alex." She bucked into the other woman's face, but Alex held her hips firmly in place.

"Fuck, I'm cumming!" Another string of indecipherable words rang out of Piper's mouth, and this orgasm felt like wide, rolling waves in the ocean.

Alex placed a few kisses on Piper's center, and then wiped her mouth on her arm as she snuggled next to her, one arm propping her head up.

"You're really bad at that," Piper joked.

She let out a small laugh.

Piper scooted over and rested her head against Alex's chest, snaking one hand underneath her tank top to touch bare skin. "I found your vibrator that morning when I changed into your clothes."

"You did?"

"I didn't know if I should tell you or not, so I kept it to myself."

Alex gently stroked her arm. "Did it freak you out?"

"A little," she sighed, feeling like she could easily fall back asleep. "More than anything it made me think of having sex with you."

She felt Alex chuckle against her head.

The women were silent for a moment, and Piper heard her companion yawn. Neither of them had slept much the night before, so taking a cat nap was probably a good idea for both of them.

Piper woke up 30 minutes later, and Alex was sound asleep halfway beneath her. She slowly got out of bed and went into the other room to give her a chance to sleep longer. The blonde checked her phone and saw that she'd missed a call from her dad, but he didn't leave a message. She stepped outside to return the call.

"Hi, dad. I noticed you called a few minutes ago." She watched a man raise a sail on his boat not far offshore.

"We were worried about you," he explained. "You didn't come home last night and we didn't hear from you this morning."

"Yeah…I'm fine."

"We left Kennebunkport about an hour ago and locked the doors," he said. "If you don't have a spare key, ask Alex to open it for you."

"Ok." She took in a deep breath of salty air. "Will you be here next weekend?"

"Of course—it's the Fourth of July."

"Right." She turned to go back into the cottage and saw Alex coming outside. "I'll see you then."

"Take care, sweetheart."

"You, too. Bye." Piper hung up and shoved her phone into her pocket.

"Parents?" Alex stretched as she approached her lover.

"They left. They even locked the doors and asked you to let me in," she sighed.

The brunette strung her arms around Piper from behind. "Don't let them get to you."

She placed a hand over Alex's wrist. "I'm trying."

The thing that bothered her most wasn't that her parents left without contacting her or leaving the house open so that she could return home; rather, it was having to hide her relationship with Alex from them. There was something deep down in Piper's soul that convinced her that she'd have to fess up at some point, and that scared her immensely. It would be more than a confession that she was in a same sex relationship—it was _with whom she was with_ that would trouble her parents enough to possibly fire Alex.

The brunette kissed the top of Piper's head. "What are you thinking?"

She turned in the other woman's arms, stringing her arms around Alex's neck. "Nothing important."

Alex hugged her, and they stood like that for minutes. Piper listened to the waves crashing against the shore, the birds chirping in the trees and the sound of Alex's heart beating against her ear. She breathed in the familiar grassy scent combined with the smell of the salty air, and she grew dizzy from the sensory overload.

"You don't have to go back there, you know." The brunette locked her hands behind Piper's lower back.

She creased her brow and looked up. "What are you saying?"

Alex shrugged. "I'm saying you can stay with me for the rest of the summer if you want."

Piper was taken aback. She blinked several times, trying to comprehend the weight of Alex's statement. "Really?"

"I like having you around, and you seem to like it here, too."

"I thought you were worried about the neighbors finding out about us?"

"I'm still concerned about the wrong people seeing us together, but I'm not going to hide who I am from anyone." She tucked a piece of blonde hair behind Piper's ear. "And I thought a lot about what you said—I do a good job around here, and if they fire me because I sleep with women, they'll have a lawsuit on their hands."

" _Women_?" Piper smirked.

"Woman," Alex corrected. "Singular."

Piper once again wrapped her arms around Alex, pulling her in for a tight hug. "I'd love to stay with you."

"Good," she whispered.

The women made their way inside the cottage and Alex taught Piper how to easily get the pit out of nectarines, stuff them with goat cheese, and wrap prosciutto around them. Once again, Piper enjoyed cooking with Alex, only this time she had a bigger role with the food prep. The brunette played Sara Bareilles after being inspired by Piper's rendition of _Bright Lights & Cityscapes_ earlier that day. They stole kisses as they made dinner, and at one point, Alex lifted Piper onto the counter, shoving the cutting board to the side as she stood between the blonde's legs and massaged her breasts and kissed her soundly.

* * *

Note: Short chapter, I realize that...Next one is double the length, and the final one (Epilogue) is short.


	12. Chapter 12

Rated M for Mature

* * *

Independence Day came and went, but Piper didn't see much of Alex during the three-day celebration. Despite significant protests from the blonde, they'd decided that it was best if she stayed at her family's home rather than spend the night at Alex's cottage. The minute her parents drove back to Connecticut, Piper jogged to Alex's place, and they had copious amounts of sex.

As August rolled around, Alex still disappeared on Sundays for at least five hours. One of those afternoons, Piper decided to surprise her.

"Hey, babe," Alex called as she entered her cottage. "I'm home."

"Hi." Having just showered, the blonde stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around her body. "I have a surprise for you."

Alex placed a kiss on her forehead. "Does it have to do with you being naked?"

"No." She shoved the handsy brunette away. "Give me five minutes, and I'll show you."

"I like the scenario playing out in my head better," Alex yelled through the closed bathroom door.

Piper quickly dried off, threw on her clothes and grabbed Alex's hand as they headed outside and around the cottage.

"What's this?" Alex asked.

"A hammock." The blonde gestured towards the cloth hammock.

"I can see that…" she trailed off as if expecting a more descriptive answer.

"I found it in the shed the other day." Piper sat down and reached for Alex. "It was tucked way in the back, and I thought maybe you'd been meaning to put it up."

"That was thoughtful of you." The brunette joined her on the hammock, pulling her close. "You hung it by yourself?"

"I did," she stated proudly.

"My mom and I had a hammock when I was growing up. After she died, it got all tattered from the weather and eventually ripped. I bought this one a few years ago, but never bothered to hang it."

She propped her chin on a hand and watched Alex intently, allowing her to continue.

"We didn't have a view like this at our house, but we still loved being outside. My mom would sit in a lawn chair, and I'd lie in the hammock, and she'd push it with her foot so it would sway." The brunette smiled with reverence. "There are times when I miss her so much that it physically hurts."

Piper wrapped her arms around her companion, and they laid in silence for a considerable amount of time. At one point, the blonde thought that Alex might've fallen asleep.

"Alex?" she whispered.

"Hmm?"

Once again, Piper propped her chin on her arm and stared at her companion. "Where do you go on Sundays?"

The brunette shifted in the hammock until they were eye to eye. "How long have you been holding _that_ question in?"

"The entirety of our relationship," Piper admitted with a grin.

"Come on." Alex shimmied out of the hammock and reached for her companion. "I'll show you."

They hopped into the Chevy and drove a few miles North along the coast. Piper noticed a sign for Fortunes Rocks and was reminded of the Anita Shreve novel bearing the same name.

"Have you been making up stories in your pretty little head about where I go?"

Piper shrugged as she continued to gaze out of the window, hoping that Alex wouldn't delve further into the matter.

She heard a slight chuckle stuck in Alex's throat. "What are some of the scenarios you've come up with?"

"I used to think that you were going to see Sylvie," she admitted as she watched a flock of geese fly overhead.

Alex snorted. "Hardly."

"Then I thought maybe you were visiting friends or going to church or brunch or something."

"Church?" she asked. "I haven't been in a church since I made my first communion."

Alex turned right onto a gravel road with a homemade street sign that said, Fox Hollow, and drove another hundred yards until they parked in a clearing among towering Balsam Firs, Aspens and Red Maples.

"I've never taken anyone here," she said, reaching for the blonde's hand as she scooted off the bench seat.

"Why not?" Piper's curiosity was piqued as she followed her companion around a cluster of blackberry bushes.

"A few reasons, I guess." Alex plucked a berry and popped it into her mouth.

Before Alex could continue with said reasons, Piper stopped in her tracks. There before her stood the framework of a cottage. One side had limestone halfway up, but the rest of the house was bare lumber.

"Who's house is this?" Piper's eyebrows wrinkled.

A tiny smile registered on Alex's face. "Mine."

" _Yours_?" she questioned.

Alex took a few steps towards the cottage and touched the limestone. "I've been working on it for the past two years."

"I don't understand." She shook her head, still glued to the spot. "Who are you building it for?"

"Myself, silly," Alex chuckled. "I like living on Mr. Bankston's property, but I never thought that would be my permanent home. Besides, I want a place of my own with more privacy than I have on Sand Point Road."

"Alex, this is…" She joined her lover next to the cottage. "I can't believe you're _building a fucking house_! Is anyone helping you?"

"I couldn't do all of this on my own." She touched the grout and seemed satisfied that it was dry. "Remember the man in the deli at Shaw's who complained about heavy lifting back in June?"

Piper reflected to the time they went grocery shopping for their first dinner together. "Yeah, Diego, right?"

She nodded. "He and his brothers help me every Sunday." She walked around the stone wall and stepped on the cement floor through the open wooden frame. "Another crew will do the electrical and plumbing, but I designed the whole thing."

"So you're building a house from scratch?" Piper asked with astonishment in her tone.

"Pretty much, yeah." She picked up a pine branch that had fallen in the house and threw it outside. "It's taking forever, but I have to get it right. I'm hoping it'll be ready before the end of the year; it just depends if we'll have an early winter. Once we get the walls up, that'll make it easier to work during any season."

The blonde couldn't believe it—she knew Alex was talented and that she was good at fixing things, but to build a house was a totally different level. Piper wrapped her arms around her lover's waist and leaned in for a kiss. To say that she was turned on by Alex's abilities was an understatement. As they kissed, Piper considered having sex right there on what she assumed would be the living room floor, but the brunette pulled back.

"Let's save that for later." Alex smiled.

Piper wiped her mouth, a little disappointed that her companion wasn't as horny as she was. "How did you design it?"

"My mom dated an architect for a while, and he always had design books lying around, so I read most of them when I was supposed to be doing calculus homework," she explained as she looked at the A-framed roof above. "I based the design on traditional English cottages. To make it look like it was built a hundred years ago, I'm using reclaimed materials and construction techniques authentic to that period." She picked up a hammer and tapped a couple of long nails into a door hinge.

Piper twirled around in the open space, shocked by what she saw.

"I can't wait to start the interior—I got a shitload of wood from two barns that they tore down a few years ago near Estes Hill. That was actually my motivation for building this place. I saw these huge, oak beams, and I had to have them." She grabbed the blonde's hand and walked back towards the side of the house that was covered halfway with stone. "This limestone was salvaged from the piers of an 1890 bridge in Hobbs Crossing when it was replaced last year. I paid a fraction of the cost than if I would've bought them new."

"You're blowing my mind." Piper shook her head. "I can't believe you did this…that you're _doing_ this!"

"Sometimes I can't believe it either." Alex smiled fondly. "Come on, I'll show you around." She entered the cottage again. "Where we're standing will be an open concept living room. There'll be a fireplace right there and a breakfast nook to the right." She moved to where the nook would be. "The kitchen will be right there."

"I'm sure you can't wait to have a bigger kitchen," Piper said, moving into that already framed space.

"I'm looking forward to that more than any other room," the brunette replied. "I already ordered the Viking appliances." She walked through the living room down what Piper assumed was a short hallway. "This is the master bedroom. It's not huge, but it's bigger than what I have now."

The blonde peeked around a corner. "Will this be the bathroom?"

She nodded. "I'm only putting in one full bathroom, and there will be a half-bath on the other side of the house, next to the guest bedroom/office." Alex walked towards the other side of the cottage and showed Piper the guest room. "The entire floorplan is about a thousand square feet, not including the porch." Alex stepped back outside. "Check out the view."

The ocean was a mere 25 yards away, and it was perfectly framed by at least ten tree varietals.

"It might even be better than your current view."

"I'll eventually put in a boat shed, but I need to build a staircase to access the water first." She shoved her hands into her pockets and walked towards the water. "It's a pretty steep incline."

"I don't know what to say," Piper admitted, still too astonished to fully take it all in. "This is just stunning, Alex."

"Thank you." She smiled and reached for the blonde's hand. "I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. There was a long stretch last winter when I thought about giving up and selling the land."

Piper squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you didn't."

"Me, too. Come on, kid." Alex tugged her back towards the Chevy. "It's getting dark, and I don't have lights out here yet. That's next week's task."

As they hopped into the truck, Piper couldn't help but think about summer coming to an end and what she'd miss when she left Kennebunkport. She only had one week left at her internship, and then she and Polly would head back to Smith a couple of days after that. She felt a knot in her stomach at the thought of having to leave Alex, but she dared not share her feelings at that particular time. She would eventually admit to Alex that she didn't want the summer to end, but such a conversation required a special time and a place, and driving back to Sand Point Road after seeing Alex's future home didn't feel like the appropriate time.

* * *

To say that Piper sulked around the Weber Shandwick office the last week of her internship was an understatement. The pouting didn't end at work—she sulked when she got home and waited for Alex to arrive, and even when the brunette was present, Piper couldn't find it within herself to be cheerful. She and Alex still hadn't had a conversation about where their relationship was headed when Piper went back to college, and the thought of where that discussion could go felt like a 500 pound gorilla on her back.

During Piper's last week in Kennebunkport, she noticed that Alex was not as present as she'd been in the past. The brunette's answers were often curt and to the point, and she wasn't as affectionate as she'd been even just the week prior. At first, the blonde attributed Alex's demeanor to being busy with end of summer chores and building her cottage, but by the time Thursday rolled around, Piper was convinced something else was at play.

It wasn't until her final night in Maine when Piper finally broached the subject of their impending separation. Alex had prepared lobster bisque, which the blonde knew was a tribute to their first meal together, but neither woman made verbal reference to the significance of the meal.

"I'm going to miss your cooking," Piper commented as she put away the last of the dishes.

Alex dried her hands. "I'm sure the food at Smith isn't that bad."

She was a bit miffed that Alex hadn't been the one to bring up her inevitable departure, but Piper wasn't about to leave town with a quick kiss and a pat on the back, wondering where they stood.

Piper guzzled the last of her wine. "Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room or are we just going to ignore it?"

"What elephant?" Alex refilled both of their glasses.

"I'm going back to college tomorrow." The blonde folded her arms and lifted her eyebrows. "You've been acting like you don't know that."

Alex retreated into the living room. "You've made that abundantly clear this week."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She took a sip of the dry Riesling. "You've been moping around like somebody died."

Piper couldn't believe her ears—it was as if her leaving had no effect on Alex. "I've been moping around because after tonight, I don't know when we'll see each other again," she stated as if Alex should have understood her behavior without explanation.

"I'm used to people coming in and out of my life." The brunette set her wine glass on the coffee table, and then plopped onto the sofa with a sigh. "I'm like a fucking Barbara Streisand song."

"You're making a _joke_ about this?" Piper abandoned her glass in the kitchen and stood in the entryway to the living room, arms still crossed. "As if I'm just _some other person_ in your life?"

"You're not just _some other person_ , Piper," she replied with exasperation. "But I didn't think this would be more than a summer thing."

"A summer thing?" Piper jutted her chin back. "So, that night when you pretty much admitted that you were falling in love with me—that was just something you say to your _seasonal_ girlfriend?"

Alex grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it against her chest.

The two remained silent, Piper rooted to the spot between rooms and Alex watching a candle flicker in the breeze. With every tick of the antique clock on the bookshelf, the blonde grew more anxious. Part of her wanted to walk away, but if she did that, she knew Alex wouldn't come running after her. Piper would go back to college and wonder when she'd see her again.

"We had a great summer, kid." Alex's voice cracked just enough for Piper to detect it. "One of the best I can remember, but we both have to go back to the reality of our completely different worlds."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "So I walk out that door, and that's it? We're done?"

"Not _done_ like forever," Alex tried. "But I have a lot of shit to do here, and you should focus on your last year of college."

"We're not going to talk or text?" She took a step further into the living room, still shocked by Alex's out-of-the-blue stance on their relationship. "You're not going to visit me in Northampton?"

"Piper, I like you. I _really_ do." She put the pillow aside. "But it's impractical to think that we can maintain this…this…whatever you want to call it, while we're 500 miles apart."

" _Relationship_ ," Piper shouted. "That's what you call it when two people spend as much time together as we have; when two people _kiss_ and have _sex_ the way we do. I know you like spending time with me as much as I like being with you. We're in a _relationship_ , Alex; it's not some fucking summer crush!"

The dark haired woman rubbed her neck and exhaled loudly. "I didn't want this to be a big, emotional thing, and now it is."

Piper felt a tear slip down her cheek and immediately swatted it away. "Of all the ways I thought this night would go, this isn't one of them."

Alex walked over to her lover. "I need some time to figure things out."

The blonde shook her head vigorously. "What's there to figure out, other than calendaring when we'll talk or see each other again? And Smith is 300 miles away, not 500. It would take a little more than three hours to see each other."

Alex ran a hand through her thick, dark hair. "I don't want a secret lover…"

"You've had one for the past five years," Piper interrupted smugly.

Alex eyed her. "Sylvie wasn't a secret—at least not to my friends."

The blonde tried desperately to ignore the fact that Alex was insinuating that she wasn't one of her friends. Piper couldn't help but despise Sylvie even though the women had never formally met.

Alex changed the subject, "We have other things to consider, like what your parents will do if they find out we're a couple."

"I can deal with my parents," she replied defiantly.

"That's bullshit, and you know it!" Alex slapped a hand against her thigh. "That night when I came over for dinner, you didn't stand up for yourself. I don't blame you, Piper, you want your parents' approval—that _means_ something to you. I don't want to jeopardize that."

"I care what my parents think, but they don't define me," the blonde stated. "If I wasn't afraid of you losing your job, I'd call them right now and tell them that we're together."

Alex appeared taken aback. "I thought you weren't worried about me losing my job?"

" _I'm_ not afraid of that, but _you_ are—I'm trying to respect your privacy and validate your concerns."

Alex let out a quick huff as silence once again descended upon them. Piper could feel her heart thumping in her throat and felt a physical pain her chest.

Finally, the brunette put her hands on Piper's arms. "Look, I'm not denying that you and I have a deep connection. What I'm asking is for some time for both of us to figure out what that means and where we go from here." She rubbed the blonde's upper arms with her thumbs. "I've never been in a _normal_ relationship—I don't even know what that's like. I just need time to sort everything out."

Piper lowered her head and took a few steadying breaths. "I don't need time to know what you mean to me."

"Good for you." Alex released her, arms dropping to her sides. "I wish I could say, _fuck the world_ , and we'd live happily ever after, but it's more complicated than that. This isn't some fucking fairy tale!"

Piper didn't know what to say, and she feared whatever came out of her mouth next would be met with equal resistance.

"I'll contact you soon, I promise," Alex offered in a more soothing voice.

The blonde hated every word that Alex uttered, despite how logical they were. Piper didn't want logic—she wanted to be swept away by her feelings and throw practicality aside. Wasn't that what being in love was about? She felt like she'd just taken a punch to the gut and had only seconds to recover before round two could begin. Piper didn't have it in her to commit to another round, so she threw in the towel.

"Fine." She walked into the kitchen and downed the glass of wine. "I guess this is goodbye."

"You can stay the night," the brunette tried weakly.

There was something in Alex's eyes that made Piper decline the half-hearted offer. "I need to get up early, so I'll stay at my parent's place."

Alex looked away.

"I won't contact you." Piper reached out and skimmed her lover's wrist with her fingertips. "I hope you find the time and space you need to make the right decision." It took every fiber of her being to say those words. Piper wanted to appear strong and mature, but she felt the anything but.

As she turned to leave, she felt Alex's hands on her shoulders, and before she knew it, she was in a lip lock with the brunette. The moment reminded her of the first time they kissed—no finesse, no tongues, just sheer desire.

Alex pulled away. "I'm going to miss you."

"Then why…"

Alex silenced her with a finger to the lips. "Please, Piper. This is fucking hard enough as it is." She squeezed both of the blonde's hands. "Take care of yourself."

Piper couldn't stop the tears from falling. "You, too."

She reached a hand out to wipe Piper's tears. "Bye."

Piper turned her face and placed three kisses on Alex's palm. "Goodbye."

She walked out of the cottage and jogged back home, hardly able to see through her wet eyes. Even though Alex made it clear that she'd contact her in the near future, Piper didn't know if she'd ever hear from her lover again.

* * *

Once inside her parents' home, Piper walked into the bathroom, blew her nose and wiped her eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror and blanched at what she saw—dejected eyes, reddened cheeks and a big frown. She was generally high spirited and optimistic, and she'd just come off of the most joyous summer she'd had in her lifetime, but Piper felt sick after her encounter with Alex. She blinked a few times and realized that _Alex had wrecked her_.

She headed upstairs and turned on the water in the bathtub before climbing in, trying to relax among mounds of bubbles, but her mind kept reverting back to Alex—the way she smelled, the way her skin felt, the way she laughed, the way she listened—there was _nothing_ that Piper didn't love about her.

Looking back at their last week together, the blonde could now detect a few signs that should've alerted her to the way Alex's final goodbye would go. Alex had been distant earlier that week—they'd only had sex once, and that had been three days prior, and she hadn't smiled as much as she had all summer. There seemed to be something weighing heavily on the brunette's mind, and it wasn't until that moment when Piper realized that Alex had more than likely been struggling with their immanent farewell.

Alex, Piper reflected, didn't have the same coping skills that she did. She'd been raised by a hard working, single mother; she'd admitted that she 'didn't do school;' and she was all but forced into her role as caretaker when her mother passed away. Alex's job didn't require soft skills such as sensitivity—it was grueling manual labor that demanded grit and muscle. Piper assumed that Alex never really needed to share her deep feelings with anyone (except, perhaps, her mom), and she probably didn't know how to navigate an emotional, delicate situation. Alex had mentioned that people came in and out of her life, but as far as the blonde knew, they weren't as meaningful to her as Piper had become in a short period of time.

As the bubbles diminished and the water cooled, Piper got out of the bathtub and dried off, ready to lie in her bed and think about the memories she'd shared with Alex. She'd already loaded her car with boxes of clothes to take back to college, so she had slim pickings for what she'd wear to bed that night. Part of her thought she'd just go to sleep naked, but that would remind her too much of the many times she'd slept in the nude with Alex. Besides, the last thing Piper wanted to feel was _naked_.

She rummaged through a drawer and found one of Alex's t-shirts. She brought it to her face and sniffed it. She shut her eyes, refusing to let tears return as she took in the familiar scent. Piper shrugged into the soft t-shirt and slipped on a pair of old cotton shorts when she heard a knock. At first she thought it was the pipes in the old house, but the knock grew louder and more persistent, and it was definitely coming from the front door.

Piper walked down the stairs, careful to stay hidden from the slender window flanking the front door. "Who's there?"

"It's me."

She immediately recognized Alex's voice and took a few steps forward to unlock the door. "Alex? What are you doing here?"

The brunette's hands were shoved into her pockets and her head was slightly bowed. "I'm an asshole."

Piper shook her head, trying to lift herself out of a fog. "I don't understand."

"I came to tell you that I'm an asshole." She removed one hand from her Levi's and adjusted her glasses. "Well, that's it. Bye…" She pretended to turn around and walk away, but Piper had her hand on Alex's broad shoulder before she could step away.

"You _are_ an asshole," the blonde replied, an uncertain smile creeping onto her face.

"Earlier tonight…" Alex finally met her eyes. "I handled that very poorly."

"Yeah, you did." She crossed her arms defensively over her chest.

"I've never felt like this before," Alex admitted. "And it's scary as hell."

She grasped Alex's hand and pulled her inside.

"I kept telling myself that it was impossible to fall in love with someone so quickly." Alex let out a long sigh as if she was frustrated with herself. "That _couldn't possibly_ be what I was feeling."

Heart racing, Piper allowed her to continue.

"As hard as I've tried, I can't get you out of my head."

Their bodies crashed together and lips fused. Piper couldn't touch enough of her companion's skin, and Alex couldn't seem to pull her lover's head close enough. Their frantic kiss turned more passionate, until Alex pulled back.

"I know our shit is complicated, but I want to make it work," the brunette whispered, hands splayed on Piper's back.

"I want that, too." The blonde gently brushed a strand of hair out of Alex's face.

She hadn't expected this—Piper knew they had a good thing going, despite having only known each other for three months. The blonde also knew that Alex was as crazy about her as she was crazy about Alex. However, she admitted to herself that things were, in fact, complicated and could see why Alex would want time to figure out their best course of action. The thing that Piper kept coming back to, though, was that they were better together than they were apart, and regardless of the distance that would unavoidably be between them, they could navigate their budding relationship together.

They kissed in the foyer for what felt like an eternity until Piper finally stopped. "Will you spend the night?"

Alex grinned. "I've never spent the night at your parents' house."

She entwined their fingers and led Alex upstairs. "Let's not mention my parents tonight."

"It's kind of strange that you've never been in my bedroom."

"Oh, I've been in here before." She smirked. "Just not under these circumstances."

"When?"

The brunette kissed a trail down the side of her face. "I installed that ceiling fan a couple years ago."

Piper chuckled against Alex's mouth. "Did you look around my room back then?"

Alex's hand slithered under the blonde's shirt. "I might've glanced at the photos on your dresser."

"What did you think?" Piper nipped at Alex's lower lip.

"I always thought you were cute." Both of Alex's hands massaged up and down Piper's stomach. "But most of the pictures look like you were in high school, so that would be kind of creepy for me to admit."

"You can admit it." The blonde smiled, tilting her neck so that her lover had better access. "I still don't understand how I never noticed you."

"You were distracted by boys," Alex groaned as she removed the blonde's t-shirt. "Nice shirt, by the way."

"Sorry, I might have stolen it."

The brunette gently nudged her towards the bed, and Piper sat on the lip of the mattress, while Alex got on her knees. "I try to make myself inconspicuous around here," she said, returning to the primary conversation. "There would've been no reason for you to notice me when I was working."

"Did you notice _me_?" Piper, still fully upright, put her hands on the mattress behind her and leaned back slightly.

Alex slowly removed the blonde's shorts and underwear. "I'd seen you around, but I didn't have sexual thoughts about you, if that's what you're asking." She lifted one eyebrow. "Not like I do now, anyway." She dove between Piper's legs, spreading them with both hands so that she could put her mouth on the blonde's center.

"Mmm." Piper's head flew back as her lover kissed her most intimate spot. "So there wasn't a single time when you thought this could happen?"

"The first time I thought about you in a sexual way was when you got that splinter." She placed one of Piper's feet on her shoulder, the other leg hung to the side. "I might've masturbated that night, thinking about you." Her tongue landed precisely on the blonde's clit.

"Mmm, that feels good." Piper moaned, putting one hand on her lover's head.

"And the next night, too." Alex inserted two fingers and continued to lick her clit.

"As a matter of fact," she said between licks. "If I had to mark the time when I started falling for you, it was the day you got the splinter."

Piper sat up, causing Alex to stop her ministrations.

"And that feeling never stopped," the brunette admitted, looking Piper in the eye. "I just didn't know how to handle your leaving, and I did a piss poor job of showing you how I felt…How I _feel_."

"Are you saying…"

"Yeah." Alex smiled. "I'm saying I love you."

Piper reached out for her, hoisting Alex on top of her as she kissed her with renewed passion. "I love you, too."

Alex reached down with one hand and inserted the same two fingers inside of Piper. She grinned when Piper bucked into her hand, and then kissed her deeper. The women made love all night, basking in words of love and hopeful that, despite their unavoidable separation, they'd make it to the other side.


	13. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

* * *

Throughout her fall semester at Smith, Piper went to Kennebunkport every other weekend to see Alex and help her with the new cottage. She'd scheduled classes such that her last class of the week was on Thursday afternoons, so she could make it to Maine by dinnertime.

Alex was too busy to work double-time on her cottage during the month of September as she winterized the homes on Sand Point Road, but she still spent at least eight hours every Sunday, working on her new house. As the sun began to set earlier that Autumn, that time grew shorter.

During the first day of her week-long Thanksgiving break, Piper went home to Connecticut to inform her parents that she was in a relationship with Alex. The conversation was difficult, and Piper shed a few tears at her mother's insensitive comments, but the blonde knew that she needed to fess up if she wasn't going to spend the holidays with her family. (Her plan was to spend the rest of Thanksgiving break and the entire month-long winter break with Alex in Kennebunkport.)

Her biggest concern about telling her parents was Alex's job security. Before Piper even broached the subject, the brunette had confirmed that Harvey Bankston would hire her to take care of his Sand Point Road home as well as two of his other houses in coastal Maine. He'd pay her a decent wage, though it wasn't even half of what she'd been making as the caretaker for all of the houses she currently tended to.

At the end of the conversation with her father, Piper asked him directly about Alex's job. Bill said that he'd have to think about it, but admitted that if he shared the news with other residents, Alex's future didn't look promising. She explained that it didn't matter if their neighbors knew, because Alex had other job prospects and was moving out of Mr. Bankston's guest house in a matter of months. Besides, she'd said, "If you're doing this to hurt me, you'll only be hurting yourself." Piper left Connecticut that night without a hug from her parents, and she didn't know if she'd be welcome back home in the near future.

Three days before Thanksgiving, the walls and roof of Alex's cottage were completely finished (including the limestone exterior, which Piper had spent several weekends laying with her own hands), and the house was truly inhabitable. The brunette had an electrician come out the week prior to install a circuit breaker, outlets and a few lighting fixtures, but the majority of the house was still lit with industrial lamps. Alex's friend, Diego and his brothers came over two days before Thanksgiving to lift the reclaimed wooden beams in the living room—a project that took all day. It didn't help that the heart-of-pine floors were being installed while Diego and his crew worked, and Piper thought for a moment that Alex was going to fire everyone on site. With the help of the electrician, Alex spent the night before Thanksgiving installing the Viking range and oven, and she'd planned to bake a turkey and make all of the trimmings for an authentic Thanksgiving feast the next day.

The reason for Alex's haste was that she hadn't celebrated Thanksgiving since her mom passed away, and she wanted to share the special day with Piper in the new cottage. She'd built a table from the leftover wood from Estes Hill, and Piper had purchased rustic chairs at a flea market in Northampton two weeks before.

The women spent the night at Alex's old cottage the night before, and when they awoke on Thanksgiving morning, they loaded her mattress into the old Chevy. It would be the first time anyone would spent the night at the new place, and Piper couldn't wait to wake up in the new cottage with Alex.

"You're sure you bought everything?" The brunette asked as they drove off of Sand Point Road. "Shaw's is closing at 11 o'clock this morning."

"I got everything on the list." Piper brushed her damp hair from an earlier shower with her fingertips. "It was a big list."

She put her hand on the blonde's thigh. "Thanksgiving dinner requires a lot of shit."

Piper covered Alex's hand with her own. "You really think we can pull this off?"

"I do." She grinned. "If we don't crash before dinnertime."

"I know." Piper rotated her neck to work out the kinks. "Maybe we can get a massage tomorrow."

She wiggled her eyebrows. "I'll give you a rub down, babe."

"I mean a real, professional one."

"I've never had a massage." She turned down the gravel road that led to the new cottage.

"Really?" Piper looked astonished. "I'll book one for both of us."

The women hauled the mattress into the master bedroom, but Piper refused to set it on the dirty floor, which meant that she swept the entire house and its dusty floor. That left Alex to carry in six grocery bags and an ice chest by herself, a feat which came with a few expletives along the way.

"I would've helped you," the blonde offered as she used a wet towel to make the floor in the living room shine. "You aren't very patient."

"What I lack in patience I make up for in stamina." Alex lifted a singular brow. "I didn't hear any complaints from you last night when I gave you your third orgasm."

"You've done better." Piper grinned. "I seem to recall many nights in the recent past when I came seven times. Three is just child's play."

The dark haired woman rolled her eyes. "If I don't get this turkey in the oven within the hour, we're going to be eating raw meat."

The blonde stood and admired the polished floor. "Doesn't that look better?"

"It does." Alex kissed her on the temple. "Now help me chop some vegetables. Where in the hell are the knives?"

* * *

Alex had mentioned that she hated that she'd have to pick out furniture and artwork for her new place, so she gave certain parameters to Piper and asked her to do the legwork. The blonde loved the idea of picking out paint and patterns; she even skipped classes one day to look at furniture at an antique market near Smith.

The brunette's iPod and speaker made the trek with them from the old cottage to the new one, and the women spent the better part of the morning, listening to music and preparing food. When most of the food prep was done, Piper flipped open her laptop and showed Alex some of the furniture she'd found online that she thought would be perfect for the new house. It was a combination of leather and creamy textiles, and Alex liked the look. Although the dark haired woman's net worth had exceeded half a million dollars, she gave Piper a healthy budget to stay within; her only demand was an Eames chair and a king sized bed.

Piper had already ordered two ottomans, a large rug and a butcher block and was storing them in one of two sheds Alex had on the property, and she was excited about moving stuff in as soon as possible. There was still detail work that needed to happen both in the interior and on the exterior of the house, but Piper hoped they could get to that in a couple of weeks when she would return to Kennebunkport for winter break.

Alex spent an hour outside that day while the turkey roasted, stringing thick cable through the posts on the porch—a job she'd wanted to accomplish for weeks. "It gives it that finished look," she'd said.

Piper made the cornbread dressing, mashed the sweet potatoes and snapped the ends of the peas—tasks she couldn't have accomplished six months earlier. As she listened to Sara Bareilles and reminisced about playing the piano in the Stein's house earlier that summer, she reflected on all of the things Alex had taught her. Now she knew the basics of cooking, how to change a flood light, how to choose the best produce & meat, how to paint, and how to plant a garden. The blonde smiled as she thought of the first time she'd tried any of those things. Alex never lost patience with her, and she couldn't say the same would've been true if the roles had been reversed.

She glanced outside and watched Alex at work. She was _so good_ with her hands (a trait Piper was grateful for in more ways than one). Just then, the brunette must have stuck herself with the wire and cursed loudly. Piper giggled. She loved everything about being with Alex and wanted it to be permanent, but there was the small matter of her needing to finish one more semester of college before she could even think about the next phase of her life.

Alex breezed in, squeezing her thumb. "It smells good in here."

"Did you cut yourself?" Piper rushed to her side.

"More like stuck myself with the fucking cable." She showed the injured thumb to the blonde. "It's no big deal. I'll just run some water on it."

"I can get the first aid kit out of the truck," Piper offered.

"Seriously, Pipes, it's fine." She ran cold water on it and glanced to her right. "Nice job on the sweet potatoes."

"All I need to do is add the marshmallows and pecans, and then I'll bake it for 10 minutes."

"Looks like the stove and oven are working." She bent down to check on the roasting turkey. "Damn, that's a fine bird."

"How much longer?" Piper put a layer of marshmallows on top of the orange potato mixture.

"I'd say about 30 minutes." She stood. "Want to take a shower?"

The blonde reached up to kiss her.

"I'll take that as a yes." Alex smiled.

After a quick round of shower sex, Alex took the turkey out of the oven while Piper set the table. They'd brought just enough dishes to make the evening go off without a hitch, and neither woman cared that the only furniture they had in the cottage was the table and chairs.

"I bought a special bottle of wine," the blonde announced after their meal was served. "Recognize this?"

"Duckhorn?" Alex took the bottle and grinned. "Of course I do."

"I'm glad we're past that point in our lives," she admitted.

The brunette opened the bottle, and then poured each of them a glass. "You say it like it was years ago."

"It _feels_ like years ago." Piper had already explained the conversation she'd had with her parents, and she didn't care to bring them into her conversation with Alex that day.

Alex raised her glass, and Piper did the same.

"To Sand Point Road and every good thing it has brought us," Alex toasted.

Piper finished the toast, "And for the stuff that wasn't so good, may we learn and be better for it."

"Cheers." They smiled affectionately at each other, and then dove into dinner.

Alex commended Piper on everything she cooked on her own, and Piper couldn't praise the brunette enough for the juicy, flavorful turkey. They ate until the point of stuffing themselves, laughing at memories and talking about plans for the new place. After dinner, the women sat on the porch covered in a thick blanket, listening to the waves crash against the shore.

Alex finished her third glass of wine and took a deep breath. "There's something I want to ask you."

The blonde turned to face her. "Ok."

"I think by now you know how much you mean to me." She rubbed the back of Piper's hand and smiled. "After you graduate from Smith, I want us to live together."

"Really?" Piper's heart soared. "Alex, nothing would make me happier."

The women hugged each other tightly, and then Alex kissed her, hands splayed on either side of Piper's face.

"I love you, Alex," she whispered.

"Love you, too, babe."

They sat huddled together for warmth and affection as the sun set behind them. Piper stole kisses every few minutes until nightfall descended upon them. They walked back into the cottage and drug the mattress into the living room in front of the fireplace. Alex started a fire, and the women laid in each other's arms, smiling and laughing at what would become their new life together.

The End

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading this story. It took a different turn than I had expected it to take when I originally planned it, but I am pleased with how it ended. I'm tempted to continue this story, but I probably say that about every story I write, so please don't hold me to it. I will post some photos on my Tumblr page of the inspiration for Alex's new cottage. I appreciate all of the reviews so far.


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